A Publication of the Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. March 1, 2012 I India RevieI w Vol. 8 Issue 3 www.indianembassy.org (Top) India’s Labor & Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge with U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis after signing an India-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding in Washington D.C. on February 2. (Above) India’s Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington D.C. on February 7. Labor Minister, Foreign Secretary visit U.S. n New National n Ambassador Nirupama n TCS opens Silicon Competition Rao visits Boston, South Valley customer Policy soon Carolina and Georgia collaboration center Cover STORY India signs MoU with U.S. on labor and employment Pact to help develop appropriate employment strategies for inclusive growth in India and build strong bonds between the two countries ringing about improvements in the life of workers and their working conditions is Bof utmost importance,” said India’s Minister for Labor & Employment Mallikarjun Kharge. Speaking after signing a memoran - dum of understanding (MoU) along with U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on February 2 in Washington D.C., Minister Kharge said the MoU would facilitate close cooperation and inter - action between the two countries. Minister Kharge expressed satisfac - tion that the MoU would cover the areas of skills development, youth employment, occupational safety and health, and mines safety. He further expressed hope that the MoU would (Above ) Labor Minister Mallikarjun help India expand its know-how in the Kharge and U.S. domains of accreditation systems and Labor Secretary self-regulation/auditing. Hilda Solis signing an India-U.S. bilateral Minister Kharge said that India Memorandum of looked forward to potential tie-ups in Understanding in training and information exchange in Washington D.C. on February 2. the areas of underground and open- (L) Minister Kharge cast mining, disaster control, emer - with Labor Secretary gency management, statistical analysis Solis. Ambassador Nirupama Rao and and development of data banks. other delegation Minister Kharge also reiterated members are also Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan seen. (Photo credit: Singh’s vision of skill development for U.S. Dept of Labor) 500 million people by the year 2022. He stated that collaboration with the the American experience in providing strong bonds between the people of U.S. would help enrich India in the vocational guidance for unemployed two great nations”, the Minister said. 2 areas of delivery methods, certifica - youth and rehabilitating the differently Hailing the structured bilateral tion, preparation of instructional abled, the Minister pointed out. engagement between India’s Ministry materials, curriculum development This MoU was another milestone of Labor and the U.S. Department of and expanding outreach. and testimony to the deepening coop - Labor, Secretary Solis, in her address In his remarks, Labor Minister eration between India and the U.S. in on the occasion, appreciated the Kharge stressed the need for accord - various strategic areas, Minister initiatives undertaken by the Ministry ing mutual recognition to certain qual - Kharge observed. of Labor under Minister Kharge’s ifications granted in both India and In addition, the MoU would also leadership to help address the critical the United States. help India in “developing an appropri - challenges of skills development, Through collaboration in labor ate employment strategy for inclusive youth welfare, occupational safety practices, India could also gain from growth in India and building upon the and health. March 2012 India Review Cover STORY Foreign Secretary holds meetings in U.S. Administration and Congress ndia’s Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai visited Washington D.C. from February 6-8. In addition Ito co-chairing the annual 3 Foreign Office Consultations with U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, he called on Deputy Secretary of State William Burns. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also joined the meeting briefly. Secretary Mathai also met the Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough; Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Michael Froman; Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman; Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Robert Hormats; Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Maria Otero, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and Non- Proliferation Ellen Tauscher; and Under Secretary for Commerce Eric Hirschhorn. The Foreign Secretary also had wide-ranging meetings in the U.S. Congress, including with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton receiving Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai at a meeting Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, in Washington D.C. on February 7. Also seen is Ambassador Nirupama Rao. Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee; Representative Howard On February 6, the Foreign gence and homeland security; trade Berman, Ranking Member, House Secretary delivered an address on and investment; energy, including civil Foreign Affairs Committee; ‘Building on Convergences: nuclear energy; science, technology Representative Mike Rogers, Deepening India-U.S. Strategic and innovation; higher education; Chairman, House Permanent Select Partnership’ in the Statesmen’s Forum high technology trade; and, people-to- Intelligence Committee; Senator at the Centre for Strategic and people ties. The two sides dis - Richard Lugar, Ranking Member, International Studies. cussed ways to further deepen bilater - Senate Foreign Relations Committee; During the Foreign Secretary’s visit, al ties and plan for the third round of Senator John McCain, Ranking the two sides reaffirmed the India- India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, co- Members, Senate Armed Services U.S. global strategic partnership and chaired by External Affairs Minister Committee; and, Senator Joseph reiterated the commitment of their S.M. Krishna and U.S. Secretary of Lieberman, Chairman, Senate governments to further strengthen State Hillary Clinton, which is to be Homeland Security Committee. Rep and expand the relationship. They held in Washington D.C. in the sum - Steve Chabot, Chairman, and Rep reviewed bilateral relations and mer of 2012. Gary Ackerman, Ranking Member, of expressed satisfaction with progress in The Foreign Secretary’s meetings in the House Sub-committee on Middle their engagement across the full spec - the U.S. Administration and Congress East and South Asia. Representative trum of the bilateral agenda, including also provided an opportunity for dis - Dana Rohrabacher also joined the political and strategic consultations; cussions on multilateral, regional and meeting with HFAC Chair. defense, counter-terrorism, intelli - global issues of mutual interest. March 2012 India Review Cover STORY Foreign Secretary Mathai at his meeting with Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on February 8. ‘Our ties one of exceptional convergence’ Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai says India-U.S. relationship can have ‘considerable impact on the shape of the world in the 21st century’ ndia’s transformation and the than we would normally expect in a and intelligence cooperation; emerging India-U.S. relationship period of two or three decades. Yet launched a new Homeland Security Ican significantly impact on the through these changes the signifi - Dialogue; made steady progress in course of the 21st century, said cance of the U.S. has not altered. But our partnership on export controls, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai. He India’s ongoing transformation and non-proliferation and nuclear securi - was speaking on the theme of ‘Building the new India-U.S. relationship are ty; concluded the largest defense deal on Convergences: Deepening India- both part of what has changed, and yet in our bilateral relations, sus - U.S. Strategic Partnership’ at the both can have a considerable impact tained exercises and broadened Center for Strategic and International on the shape of the world in the 21st defense strategic dialogue; taken for - 4 Studies in Washington D.C. on century. ward the incipient cooperation for February 6. India and the U.S. contin - In the year since President development in third countries, espe - ue to “sustain an unprecedented level of Obama’s visit to India in November cially Africa; held a very successful bilateral engagement”, he pointed out. 2010, we have sustained an unprece - Higher Education Summit in dented level of bilateral engagement, Washington DC; and, made innova - Excerpts of the speech: launched new strategic consultations tion driven progress in areas such as “While change is a constant compan - that cover key regions of the world; clean energy, food security and health ion of time, it is also true that since begun our first trilateral consultation care. We resumed negotiations on a the mid-eighties, the world has seen with Japan; advanced our coopera - Bilateral Investment Treaty and more profound political, economic, tion on non-proliferation and nuclear expanded opportunities for economic technological and strategic changes security; deepened counter-terrorism cooperation through measures like March 2012 India Review Cover STORY the Infrastructure Debt Fund and tar - iff reductions on products with potential for bilateral trade. Indeed, I do not think that we have had as much convergence, or spoken more transparently and extensively with each other, as we do now on some of the most important issues in our engagement: terrorism,