CII study: Indian companies in the US created 81,000 American jobs.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A new survey, released by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), finds that Indian companies created 81,000 American jobs over the course of 2013, investing over $17 billion in the US as well.
The survey, which is conducted annually, examined 68 Indian companies spread across 40 states in the US, and was revealed on Thursday during a summit on Capitol Hill, which was held in conjunction with the US-India Business Council and the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. Entitled “Success Stories of US-India Business Partnership,” the event highlighted the continued upward trend of business ties between the two democracies.
Several Congressmen were present at the event, most notably Joe Crowley (D-NY), Pete Olson (R-TX), and Ami Bera (D-CA). Also present were USIBC President Ron Somers and the Indian Ambassador to the US, Dr. S. Jaishankar.
Jaishankar was lauded by Rep. Crowley as a “class act” in being able to assume his new position in the midst of such turbulent times and maintain a calm and optimistic outlook.
In his keynote address, Jaishankar talked about the importance of looking ahead rather than focusing on the day-to-day issues the countries currently face, re-iterating a common motif of the discussion that every relationship has work to be done to improve it.
The speakers paid special attention to the upcoming elections in India, lauding the country for putting on what will be the largest democratic event in history and urging that despite what looks increasingly like an inevitable change in the leading party, relations between the US and India should not be neglected.
Following the panel discussion, CII announced the aforementioned survey, which revealed that the states of New Jersey, California, New York, Texas and Illinois have the highest concentrations of Indian companies in the US. CII also pointed to companies like Tata, Essar, and Mahindra as being critical in driving up commerce between the US and India and contributing to the recent accomplishment in $100 billion worth of trade between the two nations.
During the panel discussion, Essar Americas CEO Madhu Vuppuluri cited the nearly $3 million worth of factory investments his firm had put into Minnesota. Representative Rick Nolan, a Democrat from the state’s 8th Congressional District, affirmed the sentiment, saying that the community has welcomed and championed Essar for its boost to the local economy.
Mahindra US CEO Mani Iyer was also present; his firm has investments in California, Georgia, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, and has so far created 3,000 jobs across all of those states. Pradeep Tyle, CEO of Flex Films (USA) Inc., talked about a new facility his company has established in Kentucky, which has created hundreds of jobs.
Moderator Kapil Sharma, the senior general manager of Tata Sons, lauded the dignitaries for their work in boosting the US-India bilateral relationship.
Panel discussion at the meet also featured: Steve Biegun, Vice President, International Government Affairs, Ford Motor Company; Clifford Samuel, Vice President, Access Operations and Emerging Markets, Gilead; and Deb Waggoner, Director Global Government Affairs, Corning.