US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that India weathered the global economic slump better than others.
"The economic actions that India is taking — they weathered the beginning of the recession better than many places, what are they going to do to keep generating growth, lifting people out of poverty? The Congress Party made a number of important campaign promises to the poor, particularly the rural poor," Clinton said on the eve of her departure to India.
Improving the economic relationship between the two countries would be a major focus of her five-day trip to India, with Mumbai — the financial Capital — being her first stopover. Besides attending an event for the 26/11 terrorist attack, Clinton would be meeting the top CEOs of India headed by Ratan Tata of the Tata Group.
"When I am there, I will visit the first LEED-certified building in India to talk about climate change and clean energy."
"We know that India and China have understandable questions about what role they should be expected to play in any kind of new global climate change regime," Clinton added after delivering a major foreign policy speech at the Council on Foreign Relations — a Washington-based think tank.
The Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern will be accompanying her to India, Clinton said. "It is our hope that we can, through dialogue, come up with some win-win approaches. This LEED-certified building is a perfect example of what India would be capable of doing," she said.
Clinton added she would also be visiting an agricultural facility as India is really hoping to continue to expand agricultural productivity.
"But, then they have to create an infrastructure so that the crops get to a market. We have to have farm-to-market roads. You have to have storage and refrigeration facilities," she said.
Visiting India for the first time in the capacity as the Secretary of State, the Secretary of State shared she is excited about her trip to the country, which she has already visited in various capacities beginning as the First Lady.
"I'm excited. I am very much looking forward to my meetings with the prime minister (Manmohan Singh), and certainly with Minister Krishna and others in India. And, you know, we're going to do everything we can to broaden and deepen our engagement," Clinton said.
