US, Indian govt working 'closely together' than ever before

India and the US are working "more broadly" and "closely together" than ever before, Andie De Arment, Cultural Affairs Officer, US Consulate General, Chennai said today.
At a two-day International Conference on 'Energy Security Challenges in India', which began here, she said energy and climate change is just one area the two governments are cooperating in.
"I am not overstating things when I say our two governments are working more broadly and closely together than ever before. This type of whole of government engagements between our countries is unprecedented in US-India relations."
Since 2009, the US-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy has mobilised nearly USD 2.4 billion in public and private clean energy finance to support India's clean energy goals and USD 125 million for research on solar, biofuels, and energy efficient buildings through the US-India Clean Energy Research and Development Centre, a US Consulate release said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama had at their summit on September 30 extolled the broad strategic partnership between the two countries, she said, adding, both agreed to a new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy security, clean energy, and climate change recognizing the critical importance of energy access, among others.
TP Srinivasan, former Permanent Representative of India to the UN, who inaugurated the conference, said "International climate treaties such as the 2015 Paris conference require all countries to adhere to basic norms in emission and pollution. This also necessitates the need to find alternate sources of energy."

Raymond Vickery, Senior Director Albright Stonebridge Group, said "Indian energy crisis requires a continuation and extension of economic reforms in the energy and power sectors.

"Without adequate energy, Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' and the return to growth adequate to alleviate poverty will not occur."
His recent book, 'India Energy: The Struggle for Power' was released during the conference, being organised by US Consulate General Chennai in association with Kochi-based Centre for Public Policy Research.
Tom Cutler, Director, Cutler International,formerly of the US Department of Energy, said a common policy dilemma "is how to balance energy security with environmental security, especially in nations that use a lot of coal such as India, the US and China.