The new Indo-US strategic partnership to be launched in New Delhi next week during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit has six pillars which include foreign policy, health, education, agriculture and economy.
On the eve of her departure for India, with Mumbai being her first stopover, the US Secretary of State said this would be the "most wide-ranging" strategic dialogue ever between the two countries.
"We are delighted that our two countries will be engaging in a very broad, comprehensive dialogue. It is the most wide-ranging that I think has ever been put on the table between India and the US," Clinton said.
"It has six pillars to it, which include foreign policy, strategic challenges, along with other matters like health, education, agriculture and economy."
Noting that she would not like to prejudge, the US Secretary of State added that it is clear that everything is on the table to discuss.
"We believe India has a tremendous opportunity and a growing responsibility, which they acknowledge, to play not just a regional role but a global one as well. How they choose to define, that we will explore in-depth during the course of our discussion," Clinton said.
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The Secretary of State added there are a number of areas where the US would welcome Indian leadership and involvement that are difficult.
"There's nothing easy about nonproliferation. Anybody who ever read Strobe Talbott's book, 'Engaging India', knows that it's a very difficult issue. But, we want to look at new ways for global and regional regimes on weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear," Clinton said.
"We're very interested in the role that India sees for itself in the immediate area with concerns to Sri Lanka — what are the military and particularly naval implications of decisions that India is making to go forward..." she said in reply to a question.