Top CEOs representing diverse sectors of India and US and senior Government officials from both sides deliberated at length issues of common interest and concern, and recommended a number of steps to further strengthen and deepen the bilateral business relationship between the two countries, at the US-India CEO Forum meeting held yesterday at the US Department of State in Washington DC.
The meeting opened with remarks from Union Finance Minister ShriP Chidambaram, and US Treasury Secretary, Mr. Jacob Lew; Union Minister of Commerce & Industry ShriAnand Sharma and US Commerce Secretary, Ms. Penny Pritzker, and US Deputy Secretary of State Mr. William Burns. The CEO Forum Meeting was co-chaired on the Government side by ShriMontek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission of India and US Trade Representative Mr. Michael Froman; and by Mr. Ratan Tata and Mr. David Cote, CEO, Honeywell, from the CEOs side. The Indian Ambassador to the US, Ms. NirupamaRao was present in the meeting. US Deputy National Security Advisor Ms. Caroline Atkinson delivered the closing remarks and outlined the future agenda for the Forum.
The sectors discussed in the meeting included agriculture, agriculture value chains, water management, health and life sciences, energy, defense and homeland security.
Recognising the vital role that bilateral trade and investment plays in this global strategic partnership, the US-India CEO Forum was created in 2005 to provide a platform for the Indian and US CEOs to discuss issues of mutual interest and suggest action-oriented recommendations to both governments for consideration.