"Now is not the time to simply not accept a reality that's short of the ideal we envision," Jay Timmons, president and CEO, of the US National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) told a meeting here.
"Now is the time to ensure that good words are backed up by good deeds, to bring about the changes we seek and to keep moving forward together to advance one of our nation's and the world's greatest opportunities. And when that happens, manufacturers in the US are ready to go," Timmons said.
Speaking at NAM / CQ Roll Call and The Economist's 'Breakfast Briefing: Is India Open for Business', Timmons said over a year ago, manufacturers were encouraged when Modi declared India "open for business" and committed to incentivise investment - all great signs - his hopeful rhetoric has not yet turned into concrete policy reform.
"Put simply, we haven't seen the results," he added.
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"The reality, though, is the government has not implemented any significant policy changes to realise this goal," he added.
Similarly, Modi's talk of opening up the country's market to increase foreign investment was undercut when India stalled a previously agreed upon WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, jeopardising a deal that included 160 countries and that would add about USD 1 trillion to the global economy.
"India's policies obstruct the ability of the United States and other countries to sell our products outside our borders and hinder India's ability to fully participate in the global market. India is the 10th largest economy in the world. But today, it is not even among the top 15 destinations for US exports," he noted.
The US International Trade Commission has stated that if India removed discriminatory barriers and improved intellectual property protection, US exports to India would rise by two-thirds - the equivalent of USD 14.4 billion and US investment would roughly double, he said.