The House of Representatives has passed a resolution lauding the contribution of Americans of Indian origin and the importance of working together with India to "promote peace, prosperity and freedom among all countries of the world."
It cleared the resolution with an an overwhelming margin of 412 to 2 in a House whose current membership is 434.
The two members voting against were Ron Paul and Sam Johnson, both Texas Republicans. Another Congressman, Peter DeFazio (D-OR), while a member of the India Caucus, abstained. He was of the view that the broad message of the resolution was unbalanced in presenting a picture of Indo-US relations, especially in view of the concerns on account of US "job exports" to India and consequent unemployment problems here.
Congressman Douglas Bereuter, who moved the resolution for passage, said "India is the largest democratic country in the world and enjoys a close and mutual friendship with the United States based on common values and common interests."
The resolution noted that "people of Indian origin who have for decades immigrated to the United States have made extraordinary contributions to the United States, helping to make the United States a more efficient and prosperous country."
The resolution said the contributions spanned disciplines ranging from science, technology, business development, and public service, to social justice, philanthropy, literature and the arts.
"People of Indian origin have made invaluable contributions to the vitality and viability of the United States economy through creative entrepreneurship and leadership in both large and small businesses," it notes.
Trade with India integrates a democratic country of more than one billion people into the flow of commerce, offering the United States a large and rapidly growing market and unlocking vast reservoirs of talent, it said.
The US is India's largest trading partner and a major source of foreign direct investment and foreign institutional investment in India, it said. India has also been a key partner in the war against terrorism.
The two countries have agreed to increase cooperation in the areas of nuclear activities, civilian space programs, high-technology trade and missile defence, it added.
