Corporate America wants special status for India

Corporate America, which played a key role in clinching the civilian nuclear deal, wants the Obama Administration to elevate its relationship with India to the next level, bestowing "special status" on the country in various categories.

Prominent among the steps the influential American industry wants the Obama administration to take include:

• Support for India's full membership in the International Energy Agency;
• Move India up the national Disclosure Policy Category tier to facilitate expeditious military sale of the latest technology;
• Remove Indian public sector firms from the entities list;
• Recognise India as a future partner in space;
• Invite India to formally participate in the Global Peace Operations Initiative; and
• Identify collaborations to preserve culture, the oceans, forests and the environment.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to acknowledge the efforts of the private sector in strengthening of Indo-US ties at a meeting he is scheduled to address the US corporate leaders on Monday.

The corporate sector has told both the White House and the State Department in the run-up to Singh's visit that the Obama Administration needs to take the measures in recognition of the growing stature of India as a rising global power.

Though the United States industry remain upbeat on the deepening Indo-US ties, sources said the corporate sector is not taking for granted the relationship.

There has been increasing concerns in New Delhi on Indo-US relations, especially after the recent US-China joint statement which mentioned China's role in South Asia, especially in Indo-Pak ties.

The American corporate leadership has communicated to the Obama Administration through various channels that Singh's visit provides a chance to redress misperceptions and consolidate the collective agenda.

In the run up to the visit, the corporate sector also cautioned the Obama Administration, sources said, about the actions by the US Congress through legislations to curtail the generalised system of preferences (GSP) and limit H-1B visas for India (via the 50/50 provision) which, it says, will put additional pressure on a recovering Indian IT industry and damage vulnerable sections of the Indian society.

It has also urged the US government to approve the first tranche of Part 810 Licenses for US commercial nuclear companies seeking business in India. The corporate sector feels the conclusion of the reprocessing agreement would remove a de facto obstacle to any business for US commercial nuclear suppliers to India.

The industry wants the US to encourage India's accession to the Convention of Supplementary Compensation.

This will benefit Indian private firms and US companies alike, especially  'change in law' allows the Indian private sector to take part in the development of commercial nuclear energy, it argues.