ProIndia groups emerging as a force in US *** sci.research.careers
Published: Wednesday, 19 July, 2006, 11:40 AM Doha Time By Michael Forsythe and Veena Trehan
WASHINGTON: For India, which wants the US Congress to approve an accord allowing it to acquire nuclear technology, it helps to have friends in high places.
Top executives at JPMorgan Chase and Co, General Electric Co and Boeing Co are among those lobbying lawmakers to approve the agreement - a demonstration of the rapid emergence of pro-India groups as a political force in Washington.
Bangalore is making its impact on the US economy and how! Pulitzer prize winning journalist and celebrated New...
Razor Face Isn't that what the Vatican wanted people to believe before the renaissance? :-) He is talking of public discontent -not health of the US economy...
The effort has already yielded results. Last month, after hearing pleas from the companies, US business groups and Indian-American business executives, House and Senate committees overwhelmingly approved the outlines of the agreement, which would give India access to power-plant technology from companies including Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE.
The lobbying was Îa very impressive organisational effort,â says Representative Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican who voted against the measure because of concern it may erode limits on nuclear-weapons technology.
"The US Congress wants to be more pro-India,ââ says Leach, chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees US-India relations.
Indiaâs influence stems from its economyâs importance to US businesses, as well as the Bush administrationâs view that the countryâs democratic government, rule of law and civilian control of the military set examples for other Asian and Middle Eastern nations.
Nospam It is to late. While you were noothing this is what happened. Big Corp spends lots of money on politician re-election funds. Politicians change laws to benefit biz. Corp tells politicians. We...
India, the worldâs 11th-largest economy and most populous democracy, may one day be second only to Israel among international interests able to influence Washington policy makers, says Robert Hoffman, a lobbyist for Redwood City, California-based Oracle Corp, which has a majority interest in an Indian software-maker.
The nuclear agreement, Îhas been a coming-out party of sorts for the India lobby.ââ
Proponents say the outline of the nuclear agreement - which the US Chamber of Commerce, the nationâs largest business organisation, says may generate $100bn in energy sales for US companies including GE and San Francisco-based Bechtel Group Inc, the biggest US engineering contractor ö is likely to be approved by Congress this year. A further vote would be needed on the pactâs details.
"The US-India relationship has enormous long-term potential because it is anchored in so many different elements of the American power structure: business, strategic thinkers and politics," says Stephen Biegun, vice president for international government affairs for Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford Motor Co.
Ford, the worldâs third-largest automaker, makes about 50,000 cars a year in Chennai has one of its top executives backing India along with those from the New York-based JPMorgan, the third-biggest US bank which has more than 7,000 employees in India.
Other top executives include officers of Chicago-based Boeing Co ö the worldâs second-largest maker of commercial jets and Bechtelâs nuclear-power division,
The lobbying group also includes executives of GE, the worldâs second- biggest company by market value; New York-based American International Group Inc, the worldâs largest insurer and Lockheed Martin Corp, Somers says.
The pro-India lobby is far smaller than Israelâs.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee had a $66.2mn budget in 2004, the most recent year for which records are available; India spends $1.3mn a year on its two Washington lobbying firms.
Kamal R. Prasad Correct. There is however a HUGE MISSCONCEPTION. The missconception is that low taxes = investor friendly. Not at...
The Chamber of Commerce and its India lobbyist, Patton Boggs LLP, Washingtonâs biggest lobbying firm, havenât yet reported how much they are spending because such reports lag legislative events by as much as six months.
The Indian government hired the biggest Republican lobbying firm, Barbour Griffith & Rogers LLC to lobby on its behalf.
Political committees made up of Indian-American executives are boosting their political donations according to Sanjay Puri, president of the US India Political Action Committee, and co-founder of the 185-member House India Caucus.
Indiaâs $775bn economy expanded 9.3% in the first three months of 2006 from the year-earlier period. That growth helped raise GEâs forecast for 2010 sales in India to $8bn from $5bn.
GE Nuclear, a unit in Wilmington, North Carolina, says India may spend $27bn on nuclear plants through 2020.
Boeing increased its forecast for aircraft sales in India through 2023 by 20%, to 592 planes.
Fordâs Biegun says the nuclear agreement is the Îlinchpin to cementing the US-India relationship,â boosting sales of his own and other US companies.
Don't pull the "you" crap, even if you mean it in the universal sense. When I was in college, I worked full time...
India might become a customer for F-16 fighter planes and P-3 maritime patrol aircraft.
While nuclear agreement is the India lobbyâs main focus right now, Somers, the head of the Chamber of Commerceâs India business group, says it can also be mobilised on other matters, such as the outsourcing of US jobs and restrictions on the number of visas available to highly send workers who want to come to the US.
"You better believe weâre going to be up on the Hill in the future for other issues,ââ Somers says. ö Bloomburg
-=- This message was sent via two or more anonymous remailing services.
BPO is cool & nanotech will be in: Friedman
Alt Computer Consultants from Newsgroups
Americans falling behind: Whitecollar workers see salaries stagnate 1646