US envoy seeks to dispel visa fears

AHMEDABAD: US consul general in Mumbai, Edgard D Kagan, who is on a whirlwind visit to

Gujarat

, sought to allay fears of visa curbs by saying, on Monday, that 1.85 lakh Indian students had been granted study visas over the past year. He said that the figure accounted for a 12% rise in the number of student visas given to Indians over the previous year. The US has always attracted skilled professionals, he said.

Kagan said American companies in the defence space are eager to do more business with India. They are keen to start production in India “if it’s appropriate”, he said. He also said that many Indian states are competing with each other to attract

foreign direct investment

(FDI).

“We, on our part, very much encourage our American state officials ranging from governors to legislators to come to India,” Kagan said. He cited the examples of governors of Mississippi, Indiana, Texas, and Colorado who had brought delegations to India over the past year. Kagan’s Gujarat visit comes ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and Lok Sabha elections which are to be held next year.

Kagan said this was his second trip Gujarat. On Monday, according to a statement, he had met a few political figures and some businessmen, visited CII and met the students at IIM-A. Kagan’s first visit was in September last year ahead of US defence secretary James Mattis’ visit to India. “I am here without a specific goal. I need to travel,” Kagan said. “And we are listening to what people have to say about US-India relations and it’s important for us to make sure that were are telling our story as well.”

While speaking on energy and infrastructure, Kagan said, “India is focusing a lot on building infrastructure. Energy, especially gas and electricity distribution, are very big areas of opportunity.” He went on to say: “We would like to see more investments by American companies in those areas.” He said that companies involved in the energy sector which are based in Gujarat continue to do business with US firms. “American firms continue to supply equipment in the energy space,” he said. “We continue to see investments in energy, particularly in the infrastructure sector, as real potential area for American companies.”

On the visit of the seven-member US food and drug administration team in Gujarat, Kagan said, “This is an ongoing thing. Such visits are part of the regulatory framework.” He said inspections at factories are conducted so that those exporting drugs from Gujarat are seen to be complying with export term agreements of the US.

On the 25% tariff imposed on steel and 10% on aluminium, Kagan said, “These issues are under discussion and there are many areas in our relationship where there are disagreements in both directions.” He said the US wants market access in India and India too has legitimate concerns. “These issues should be seen in a broader context. These issues can be solved,” he said.