The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) is currently leading a group of U.S. technology industry executives for a three-day long meeting with government officials across the spectrum of ministries and departments that regulate and promote India's digital economy sector.
With the conclusion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent trip to Silicon Valley to promote the Digital India campaign, the U.S. companies are excited to deepen their cooperation with the Government of India to usher in a new era of growth in India's technology sector.
"U.S. companies are excited with the level of commitment the Prime Minster has shown to advance his vision of Digital India," said Neil Bjorkman, Director of Digital Economy at USIBC.
He also said "We are here in Delhi to meet with officials from all levels of government to highlight the importance industry places on the Prime Minister's vision."
The delegation led by executives from Oracle, Amazon, and HP, will focus on three key areas related to ease of doing business.
The three keys are cyber security, regulatory reform for manufacturing IT products, and e-commerce.
The delegation will focus on deepening industry's role with both the U.S. and Indian governments for cyber security. USIBC successfully hosted an industry interaction with principal government officials from both governments prior to the visit.
Chairman of the USIBC Digital Economy, Joe Alhadeff, said, "As a follow up to our interaction with senior officials prior to the U.S.-India Cyber security Dialogue, we will continue to emphasize the need for consultation with businesses that have the technology and resources to help India protect its critical infrastructure."
The delegation will also be continuing and reshaping the advocacy campaign to work with the Government of India to align their IT product certification process with global standards.
Bjorkman also said that since 2012, the global electronics manufacturers have faced a regulatory bottleneck. This is because Indian safety regulations, known as the Compulsory Registration Order issued by the Ministry of Communications & IT replicate the internationally accepted safety certification standards that companies already certify to.
"This bottleneck drives up the cost of IT products for Indian consumers but does not make them safer. We will continue to urge the Government to remove duplicative testing and lessen the related administrative burdens," he added.
The delegation will continue their advocacy campaign on removing the FDI cap on business-to-consumer e-commerce.
"In the spirit of promoting Digital India, e-commerce models should be allowed to enable small and medium businesses across India to reach national and global consumers," said Bjorkman.
The delegation enters the Digital India era with beaming optimism. "India's IT sector is the crown jewel of the Indian economy. Our job is to advocate for a light-touch regulatory environment that will spur economic growth, promote innovation, and drive job creation in this sector," Alhadeff concluded.
"Similarly, we are working with the Indian government to improve the business environment for companies operating in India," he added.
Formed in 1975 at the request of the U.S. and Indian Governments, the U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization, composed of more than 300 top-tier U.S. and Indian companies advancing U.S.-India commercial ties. The Council is the largest bilateral trade association in the United States, with liaison presence in New York, Silicon Valley, and New Delhi.
