The Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston put together a delegation consisting of members from Houston, Dallas, Tulsa and Atlanta on a  "Trade Study Mission" to India from November 14^th to 22^nd 2005.

  

A highlight of the visit was meetings with the Union Minister of Commerce & Industries Mr Kamal Nath and with Dr Ajay Dua , Secretary Department of Commerce.

 

According to Houston businessman Pradeep Gupta, President, Unique Industrial Products Company   India has already taken steps to  make doing business in and with India easier. There are many business opportunities that small and medium US companies can take advantage of.

In the meeting with Mr. Kamal Nath the delegates discussed the problems involved with establishing good business relationships with India and the amount of red tape that must be dealt with. The Minister informed the delegates of steps already in place to reduce much of  the red tape and make India is easy and profitable to business with.

Minister Nath stressed the need to develop infrastructure, alternative energy sources, and said there was an opportunity to invest in medical tourism.  Many well known US and European automakers are sourcing parts such as forgings from premier Indian manufacturers like Bharat Forge, Bajaj etc.

He also, stressed the importance of the new emerging India middle class, the roles of women in the economy, and the small to medium manufacturer.

At the end of our meeting with him Minister Nath arranged for the delegates to meet the Secretary for Industrial Assistance, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry Govt. of India, New Delhi Dr Ajay Dua. Dr Dua, who had visited Houston in 1999, recalled having met the Chamber leadership the year IACCGH was formed. He assured the delegates that his office was willing to help if any US Company doing business with or in India was facing any bottlenecks.

He also explained that all forms have been placed on line and the government has given the instructions and the help needed to file all forms online.  He also touched on the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).  For further information visit the Departments Web site:  http://dipp.nic.in

 

 

Photograph:

Jane Perkins(Tulsa OK), Abid Abedi(Chairman Elect Dallas Chamber), Pradeep Gupta(Houston), Minister Kamal Nath, Jagdip Ahluwalia(Executive Director, IACCGH), Max Rasquinha (Houston), Sanjeev Khanna(Dallas)