 briefings, what a year, what a difference a year can make in US-India relations. We're just marked the one-year anniversary of Prime Minister Modi's election, the six month anniversary of our ambassador going out. Defense Secretary Ash Carter's visit, which following on the president's successful visit, helped move the ball forward on some important initiatives. So things have changed pretty dramatically and having the ambassador here to give us an update and overview on exactly where things are at from his perspective is extremely timely. So I don't think I need to say a lot about Ambassador Richard Arbherma, judged by this door-busting crowd. He's still one of the most well-connected people in Washington, even if he's living a little further away right now. Military service in the Air Force, he's worked for foundations in the private sector, in the administration as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, on the Hill with Senator Harry Reid and Congressman Murtha. And last but not least, well maybe least, also at a think-tank, giving us time to the Center for American Progress and many other activities that have been involved over the years. All this left to do, I think, in that resume is to play for the Washington Nationals, and it'll have a very much, you know, I think the career goals completed there. Smyrnaan is ambassador in December of 2014, and as you know, when you arrive in an interesting foreign land with a nice big house, visitors always come knocking, and he got a great one the first month that he was out there with President Obama's visit and all the accompanying things that go along with that. So Ambassador Arbherma, now you're the point person for turning this great framework that was established into substance, and welcome me on stage. Please join me in welcoming Ambassador Arbherma. Well thank you, thank you very much. It's great to be here at CSIS. Let me thank Dr. Hamry and Rick, especially you. We've really relied on your scholarship and your insights into US India over these many years. I see a lot of friends and familiar faces in the in the audience, so it is terrific to be here. I didn't think that playing for the Washington Nationals was a possibility. If you think that's possible, I actually would come back to do that, even though I was a Pirates fan my my whole life. You know we have had a really interesting and fascinating time since we got there in early January. As you said the president was there, and you know by the time I even got there on the ground in early January, there were already several hundred people on the ground working on that one visit, and four days after I was there the Secretary of State was there. And since that time we've had at least a half dozen cabinet secretaries also visit, which is new and you know not accidental. People are coming because they believe in the promise of this relationship. I've also had the good fortune of taking 16 trips so far around India, north, south, east, west. I've actually also gone to Bhutan, so I guess that's 17 trips, but you really do feel the excitement and the renewed enthusiasm in terms of what's possible in US India. I had a reporter actually ask me the other day, she said, boy after the president left things must have really quieted down for you. You know you guys just must be kind of looking for something to do, and I thought boy I really need to get out more often and tell people what we're working on because the pace really hasn't led up. So again thank you for the opportunity to be here. As I think most of you know this may mark the one-year anniversary since Prime Minister Modi rose to power in what was at the time the largest election in history. And this anniversary has generated a lot of commentary about the progress India has made over the last year and the challenges that still remain. And today I just want to talk to you a little bit about what we in the embassy have seen and why we are still very optimistic for the opportunities and an even stronger partnership for the years to come. The last time I was in Washington a few months ago I shared my concept of a strategic plus relationship between the US and India which reflects really our sense of an enhanced commitment to our shared interest. And the strategic plus relationship has blossomed in the last year highlighted by these two Obama-Modi summits, the cup of tea and everything that went with it. And the roots of this relationship go very deep however. They grow from the diaspora community which stretches back to the farmers from the Punjab who came to work the California soil in the 1800s to help build railroads and work in lumber mills. They were strengthened by the thousands of scientists and doctors who traveled to the US in the 1950s and 60s bringing our research and academic communities more closely together. These roots are invigorated by the steady stream of technology and business leaders who continue to enrich both of our countries through bold innovations. Now like millions of fellow Americans my family tree is rooted in this diaspora community. And a few weeks ago I had the good pleasure and fortune of traveling to Jolundar in the state of Punjab where my parents are from. And I returned to the home of my grandmother where I spent a summer as a young boy. I visited the girl's school where my grandmother taught, talked to people who knew her. I also had the humbling honor of giving the commencement address at the college where my father graduated from 64 years ago. I went to the classroom where I know he was a better student than I probably was. I spoke to the new graduates about our shared history and about the vast opportunities available to them in this India on the rise. A place where transformational leaders can and do and will have a real impact. Now the roots of strategic plus did not sprout overnight but they go back generations. And similarly our relationship is not defined only by a handful of singular achievements over the past decades. Clearly there have been headline catching breakthroughs but our relationship is built on more than just bold proclamations and high level visits and it transcends anyone individual or party. It is built on continual incremental progress on gaining trust on engaging in open discussions on difficult issues. It is built on strong and growing people-to-people relationships where students, innovators, and family ties stitch our countries together in a constant exchange of ideas. It is built on the dialogue that takes place every day between our governments in which we are working closely together to achieve the joint vision set forth by the president and the prime minister. Most importantly I believe our relationship is built to last because it is rooted in our deeply shared cultural values, our democratic systems, and our common commitment to regional and global stability. Let me say a word about foreign policy because in foreign policy India has been on the move. In the past year the prime minister has reached out not just to the United States but he has visited over 18 countries and 33 cities. He is signaling that India will be a player on the global stage for years to come and we welcome and support that global leadership role politically, economically, and in global institutions. Within the region he's reached out to leaders from Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka. He finalized a historic land boundary agreement which he will sign during his upcoming visit to Bangladesh. There have been visits to Mauritius, to the Seychelles, demonstrating that India wants to play an active role in the Indian Ocean. We have also been heartened and frankly grateful for the leadership role that India has shown in the face of recent crises. India's response to the devastating earthquake in Nepal was remarkable. When disaster struck India spared no time in mobilizing its sophisticated crisis management mechanisms providing crucial support to a neighbor in need. In a similar gesture India rushed to provide fresh water assistance to the Maldives when its water treatment facility ceased operating. India displayed leadership beyond regional boundaries. In Yemen India organized land and sea evacuations of civilians that included nationals from all over the world including the United States and Pakistan. Both in Yemen and Nepal we were thrilled to see the Indian Air Force using its US-made C-17s and C-130s in support of its humanitarian assistance. As part of its act east agenda India has strengthened ties with Asian powers. The Prime Minister has been working closely with Prime Minister Abe in recognition of India's shared interests with Japan. He's visited Australia and made a historic trip to Fiji. India signed its first permanent ambassador to ASEAN this year and during his recent visit to China Prime Minister Modi was able to strike a balanced tone between enhancing cooperation and seeking to resolve outstanding issues. And of course the US and India are partnering more closely than ever before. We are tracking 77 different initiatives that came out of the January Obama Modi summit in fields that range from defense cooperation to health and renewable energy and our collaboration is broad-based and global in nature. Our doctors and health experts are working together in Africa on disease prevention and to fight HIV and AIDS. The joint strategic vision on the Indo-Pacific we announced during the President's visit outlined our ways, outlined ways our nations can come together in the region to further the prospects for peace and stability. And our two democracies are demonstrating how the region can work collaboratively towards a better future based on a respect for a rules-based order and the peaceful resolution of disputes. And I think the Prime Minister had it exactly right in the recent issue of Time Magazine when he said it's not just what the US and India can do for each other it is what each of us can do for the world when we operate together. Prime Minister has also reached out to the Indian community overseas in cities like New York, Toronto and Sydney. He's spoken to packed arenas encouraging the diaspora to become active in India's development and promoting India's influence in the world. He has met with business leaders looking for new partners in his quest to modernize India's economy and these leaders will be crucial to India's domestic agenda as there are high expectations for renewed focus on economic growth. Now there are also opportunities for US India, for US industry and several of the initiatives set forth by the government. And I'll just mention a few really tied to the Secretary of Defense's recent visit there this week. For example, India has prioritized developing its domestic manufacturing sector through the Make an India program and many of the ideas we're discussing under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative or DTTI or what it initially was called the CARTER Initiative as it was constructed by the now Secretary of Defense are an excellent fit with Make an India. Through DTTI the US and Indian defense communities are collaborating on development and production of new technologies. DTTI signifies our commitment to modernizing India's military forces while promoting economic growth both in the US and India. And again DTTI is a special focus of the Defense Secretary who had a very successful trip there as I mentioned. This was his fourth trip to India while in government and he became the first American Secretary of Defense to visit an Indian operational military command, Eastern naval command in Vizag. Secretary Carter along with Defense Minister Parakar signed a new 10 year defense framework agreement and finalized the first two project agreements under DTTI to develop mobile battlefield power systems and next-generation CAMBIO protection suits. As Secretary Carter stated quote these projects are intended to blaze a trail for things to come end quote this is really the beginning of what's possible. I'm particularly excited about the aircraft carrier working group which was designed to support India's own efforts to build its naval aviation and blue water capabilities and I recently had the good fortune of joining a contingent of Indian naval officers to fly out to the USS Carl Vincent and standing on the flight deck listening to the officers from the US and Indian navies I was struck by the high level of interest on both sides and in the possibility of collaboration and I will tell you for me it was a glimpse into what's possible in the future to see our senior naval officers and naval aviators standing side by side was a terrific thing and reflecting this interest the DTTI aircraft carrier working group is off to a fast start and later this month the US contingent will host a team from India to visit a US aircraft carrier and conduct the group's inaugural meeting. Ultimately the aim is to identify specific areas for technology cooperation. Of course the success of the make an India initiative will hinge in large part on India's economic and investment climate. In 2014 the World Bank ranked India 142 out of 189 countries in its ease of doing business index. Recognizing that it needs to do better the Prime Minister has announced that he would like to see India ranked in the top 50. Now we have seen some concrete steps towards that goal. In April the Indian cabinet approved legislation to establish commercial courts which would dramatically reduce delays in resolving business disputes. The government has also taken steps to streamline its services through various E governance initiatives. As many of you know we are also working hard to assess the prospects for moving forward with a high standard bilateral investment treaty something I know that Rick and CSIS have talked a lot about but a high standard bit would further enhance investor confidence and send an important signal to US investors especially infrastructure investors that India is open for business. Ultimately though the direction of the economy is one for India to decide but I sense there is recognition among many that if India is going to realize its goals for making India it needs to adopt an attitude of encouraging for an investment not just permitting it this will take not just welcoming words but decisive actions in a range of areas including on tax on intellectual property and regulatory streamlining. There is another reason for optimism and that is the cooperative federalism and encouragement of states that are now competing for investment and I think we are seeing an increasing race to the top among Indian states to attract outside investment including FDI which will be good for India and will be good for our relationship as well. Just last month senior representatives from both Andhra Pradesh and Teligana were in the US on road shows to promote their respective states as investment destinations. Google recently announced that it will build its largest campus outside the US in Teligana. A strong sign of that state's efforts to promote itself as an investment destination. We encourage more such efforts but we are also actively encouraging Indian investment and job creation in the United States. India recently brought 82 companies to the commerce department select USA summit the second highest contributor of any country in the world and this leads to another area we are all tracking closely which is bilateral trade. We are pleased that our trade in goods and services has finally crossed the elusive hundred billion dollar threshold and stands at approximately 103 billion. Now we have a long way to go to reach the 500 billion target set by President Obama but we think it is achievable given the size of our economies and the size of our countries. We recently restarted our trade policy form which is bringing together Indian and American trade experts to address concerns across a variety of sectors. And on intellectual property a technical team of Indian experts will visit Washington for further discussions on how to improve IP protections. We continue to look for ways to enhance the environment for innovation in a way that promotes and protects our shared interests. And through the State Department's Indo-Pacific Economic Corridor Initiative we are also supporting greater regional economic connectivity between India and its neighbors complementing the Prime Minister's Act East policy. Many of you may not know but South Asia is the least interconnected of all the regions in the world accounting for a very small fraction of country to country trade. And so through programs aimed at enhancing energy cooperation building closer people to people ties stimulating trade facilitation transportation and easing customs and borders our IPEC initiative seeks to strengthen links among South Asian countries. Now economic growth is important but sustainable development is also imperative. And both countries recognize that meeting energy needs in a sustainable manner is one of the most important challenges of the 21st century. The development of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies will contribute significantly to improving air quality addressing climate change and protecting the global environment. And as leaders of the new high tech economy our countries can achieve robust economic growth while protecting the environment. Now India has set ambitious goals for clean energy development and aims to sharply increase its renewable capacity to 175 gigawatts through wind and solar by 2022. And under our energy clean energy cooperation programs we've already mobilized over two billion dollars in clean energy projects and we have further plans to expand our efforts and American firms have a big role to play from supplying the technology to consulting to financing specific projects. Now as we look ahead in the coming months climate change will be a central focus for us in the lead up to the talks in Paris in December India's participation is crucial for any global climate agreement to meaningfully address the challenges the global community faces. And we look forward to an ambitious and transparent plan on reducing emissions. Now India has signaled its commitment towards combating climate change by recently agreeing to discuss the phase down of HFC's reducing the production and consumption of these super greenhouse gases through the Montreal protocol is a significant and pragmatic step in the right direction. Now some of you may have read about another concern which is air quality which is an issue that faces a lot of us in New Delhi and frankly around India. The global burden of disease study considered the gold standard and global epidemiology shows air pollution as the fifth greatest factor for premature death in India claiming 630,000 lives a year. So tackling air pollution is good not only for our lungs but for people's health and it's part of a wider strategy to address climate concerns and in the past few months I've seen both the Indian press and government officials pay more attention to the effects of air pollution on health and safety and in March I was pleased that Indian officials welcome the delegation from the EPA to discuss urban air quality. This is a partnership area where we can use what we've learned over the past several decades of combating our own air pollution right here in the United States. So we can use what we've learned to address this global challenge. Let me touch on one final subject which is the the challenge of urbanization in India because the scale of urbanization is like nothing that we've seen anywhere else. So Prime Minister Modi has recognized that urban India is due for an overhaul and this presents special challenges for development but also many opportunities for collaboration and we are committed to working with India to transform its cities into healthy and safe spaces that provide high quality services and economic opportunity. The hundred smart cities initiative has captured the popular imagination in both India and the United States and we are using a whole admission approach to develop smart city projects in three cities. Vizag, Ajmer and Alalaba. Smart cities are not destinations but are part of a process. They are about continuous collaboration among public and private stakeholders to improve the quality of life for urban dwellers and we are connecting US firms with opportunities that match the priorities set forth by the central and local governments. Finance is a big challenge of course for this initiative so we're using our convening power to enlist the support of finance agencies such as XM and OPIC along with the Asian Development Bank. We're also focused on using technology and global best practices to deliver smart city solutions that are cost effective, scalable and replicable. This includes providing GIS data to help Alalaba connect more of its sewer lines to water treatment plants helping the desert city of Ajmer recharge critical water reservoirs mapping fresh groundwater resources to help farmers and Vizag recover from severe storms. Smarter cities are also cleaner and healthier cities. Now lack of access to clean water and sanitation services has serious consequences for many urban communities and to tackle this issue USAID is working with the Ministry of Urban Development and other private partners to support the Prime Minister's Clean India campaign and we're trying to bring the leadership, the talent and the resources of the public and private sector to generate solutions to India's water, sanitation and hygiene challenges. We're working in Bangalore, for example, with the city administration to provide 32,000 households with clean drinking water. We're doing similar things with India in our call to action plan to NTB. An American scientist from the CDC and other agencies are working with government officials, NGOs and researchers on improving labs and training in the public health workforce. So we are better prepared for outbreaks like Ebola and other pandemics. Now as with economic reform in general, progress on all of these initiatives will be incremental but we are seeing the Indian bureaucracy do more than just lay foundation stones. They are being proactive in their engagement and discussions not just with us but other partners as well and if we keep these up we will see many of these ideas become realities. So in closing let me just say we do have our work cut out for us. There are many additional initiatives we could discuss and I'm happy to tackle those in the Q&A but generally speaking I am optimistic and I am enthusiastic about where the relationship is heading and this is an exciting time to be in New Delhi and during as I said the first six months we've seen a real commitment by our partners in India to carry out a bold vision for an India on the rise and as I said there will be challenges but there is a renewed sense of possibility and I continue to believe we are on a path to increase cooperation across all sectors and becoming India's best partner as President Obama called for in January. Thank you very much appreciate the opportunity. Yeah a lot going on. Well Ambassador Verma you know going back I think to to before you went out and we had a couple of conversations and we talked a lot about Indian states and you've been out there you've done it you know sitting here in Washington it makes a lot of sense you look at the numbers you look at the importance it makes a lot of sense but you show up as as the ambassador to the United States with the state government how does that conversation go what do they look for from the United States in terms of partnerships what is it that they think they can offer can you give us a sense you know that you've been to a number of corners yeah and it's been it's been really exciting frankly to go in and meet with chief ministers who want to talk about how hospitable their state is to foreign investment and to American corporate interest so that they can come in and help jumpstart the economy in that region I'll just give you a couple examples you go into some states and they now talk about a single window for regulatory approvals where you go in and you don't go to 80 different places you know I think it's it's commonly recited that to build a hotel in India requires about 80 permits they're now talking about going to one window for regulatory approvals now not sure what happens behind that window but that is that is a good that is a good development they talk similarly about about the ability to get land if needed in a fair and transparent way they talk about the court system and the tax system so there's like I said it we call it a race to the top because there really is a very healthy competition taking place among the states not just for US companies but for investment across India and investment from from Europe and beyond in Asia as well so I think it's a it's a very very good and encouraging sign yeah some of the some of the big initiatives that we have from Washington to Delhi you know let's just say like defense technology and trade initiative which could result in more production things like that do they make the connection between the high level issues that you deal with in Delhi with how that could actually you know FDI caps things like that do they make the connection or is it or is it very commercial deal oriented when you get to the state level no I think they make the connection I think look this this notion of ease of doing business is not you know it is it is many different things it's a patchwork of many different things it's not a switch that you just flip and all the sudden business becomes a better overnight it is it is giving people confidence like I said in the legal system so this development of commercial course is very important because it's about developing confidence in the intellectual property enforcement regimes it is about tax certainty it is about land it is about transparency and decision-making speed of decision-making so it's all these things some of those are directed by the center some of those are by the states but it is a general perception that investors will be treated fairly in that India is open for business and that if there are disputes that there are mechanisms to handle those disputes fairly and swiftly so it is it is a mix of center and and states look at their federal system where a federal system we see the same you know sometimes there are there are tensions in these relationships but I think people do appreciate that it's a range of things that have to be done in order to improve that that ranking for example yeah you know looking at at the really the the back-and-forth nature of the business relationship or even broader than just business relationship but when you go in to meet with with government officials with private sector you know what in the six months you've been out there are the recurring themes problems that they have with policies here what are the things they bring up regularly is it focused on visas is there a new generation of issues or is it the typical one we've been hearing from many years like that American no Indian companies Indian government what are the things the changes they want to see here that they think will facilitate a deeper relationship interesting yeah no and I'm glad you mentioned that point because you know so often we talk is about the changes that need to occur in in Delhi and we forget about the changes that need to occur in Washington and the fact is there have been changes in Washington from export control reform to talks that the Indian government would like to see for example and on social security totalization talks that will be upcoming talks on technology transfer not just in the defense space but in the in the clean energy space as well and so no there are there trust me it is a it is a two-way conversation I would say visas is much less a part of the conversation I think people should know that the embassy issued over a million visas last year we're on a 30 percent increase this year that number shows no sign of dropping India continues to get 65 percent the dominant share of h1v visas 35 percent of the L1 or intercompany visas so I you know frankly I'm hearing less about individual kind of visa cases and I actually what I'm really excited about is the interest in Indian companies and Indian investors creating opportunities in the United States as well that that is exciting the two way trade numbers are up and the investment numbers and and it's really great to talk about job creation in both places yeah sure you know that's that's that's the main bailiwick that I try to stand on here too which is it still feels from Washington like on the economic front things aren't going that well but the numbers show a real big pop since the since the elections FTI is way up FII is way up trade is coming up nicely so it does feel there's a bit of a disconnect between the sense here in Washington versus the numbers that you see I think people you know people whether they're in the United States or in India they want change faster and that's understandable voters I think in both of our countries you know sometimes have a short span that they want to give to political officials and we understand that in both countries but I think you're right if you look at the investment numbers if you look at inflation remains low if you look at the economic growth numbers they remain high now I think experts would say that India could do much better and there could be much bigger numbers posted but look we're you know everyone has to operate within the system that they have politically and economically but I think you're right I think the story is still very positive and that's that's something I wanted to convey here one last question before before I open it up so you talked a lot about the work that you're doing to further America's national objectives in engaging in the on security and economic front you know but for you personally six months in now are there a couple of specific things for that five minutes a week when you actually get to direct yourself a little bit more instead of just reacting to the big things that are happening around you are there a couple of you know issue areas that you personally want to kind of put your stamp on what's your sense on that sure so one I'd like to you know part of the reason I've done 16 trips is not just because I like to go to the airport it is I think the the Delhi airport was voted the number one airport in the world still it is to go reach a segment of people that may not have heard from a US ambassador before may not know why this relationship matters so to you know it's like living here for 20 years and when you need to get out to understand what the rest of the country actually thinks and feels and wants and so I've been really trying to get out of Delhi and talk to you know let's say non-traditional groups groups that wouldn't ordinarily be involved in a you know foreign policy or trade or geopolitical discussion so you know young that means young people that means people who maybe are in villages people who may not be in urban centers and I'd like to do more of that and it is amazing what kind of impact you can have by just showing that that we really do care we do really care about India's growth we care about people's prosperity we keep we care about bringing people from the from the bottom of the pyramid into the into the middle of the pyramid and so the more of that we can do and that doesn't take a lot of money frankly those are not big ticket items I have I have sat with migrant communities that make cricket bats for example on the side of a highway and the reason I was there was because USAID funds a solar powered battery pack that allows them to have power in order to shave the the wood and in order to power the lights it also keeps their family safe they had a lot of kids running around you know that is that is a small ticket item having a huge impact on a community so the more of that we can do and talk about I think the better it'll be that's great well we've got about 20 minutes to take questions from the from the audience let's start up we got a couple of microphones coming around yep it's right there my name is Krishna I'm with the US India Security Council I want two questions one is what are the other areas that you are working closely on defense between the United States and India we are interested number two is when defense secretary is in India what are you doing here now it's a good question so you know defense and security cooperation continue to be the it's a cornerstone of our of our relationship and defense is much more than defense sales and I think we too often think you know this is about transactional items I'm very pleased with the defense sale numbers and the trajectory they've taken but we also need to think about common operating vision and how we would work together whether it's on humanitarian response whether it's on combating weapons of mass destruction I know there's a there's a lot of people in this room who have worked on that set of issues and we will continue to work on that so thinking towards the future like I said that that notion of the of what's possible coming out of the aircraft carrier working group that's very exciting so it's it's obviously defense sales it is military to military training it is the common operating environment it's getting to know each other and in terms of how we would deal with crises and it's building out this joint vision for the Asia Pacific it's intelligence cooperation it's homeland defense it is the whole spectrum of security cooperation we face similar threats and so we we are natural partners present has said it and so the defense base is a natural good and you know that was a great get me in trouble so so it's interesting I talked to Secretary Carter about this and explained the fourth grade graduation is the ten-year-old birthday and a few other consultations that I had to do back here but but I'm so glad he had he is a real person so we have to deal with that but I appreciate also you know of course letting us know who you are who you represent and keeping the shorts keeping the the questions quiet Sumani up at the front here it's coming right back I'm Sumani with the confederation of Indian industry here in Washington always a pleasure to see you and thank you for the opportunity to let us host you while you were in Punjab I was just curious if there's any specific initiatives or programs that you're looking at enhancing SME integration between the two countries the big players of course I think we'll continue to engage and we're seeing a lot of that FDI coming in but if you want to see that bump in trade figures it's really the SMEs that we want to see more both in the US and in India starting to engage more so any thoughts on how to make that happen it's a really it's a good question and I think it's you know the notion of of integration is is really important you know what's what's interesting is that as you talk to American companies big companies now that are operating in India they don't really see boundaries anymore you know they they you know I think of the multimodal facility I went to for GE and in Pune and they said look we're gonna do four different product lines here but design is going to take place in Pittsburgh marketing is going to take place somewhere else you know the notion of these global integrated product lines of which India is a key player in which the United States is a key player is really important and it's just it was a good kind of vision for the future about kind of how to integrate our business conversations our supply chains our companies more of it's happening I mean I'd welcome frankly the input of CII in terms of how to do do more of it but it is actually occurring now but and that's to the question on SMEs that's a that's a kind of thing that SMEs can plug into that's what Shimani was referencing yeah we should we should talk about that because that's that would be that would be an important discussion to have yeah right over here hi I'm Karen I'm from the University of Southern California yesterday we attended an event at the Atlantic Center with Ambassador Chaudhury of Pakistan and I was and he was very adamant about the relationship between India and Pakistan and I was wondering what your view understanding of that relationship was from the US standpoint it's interesting it took three questions to get to India don't normally the first look you know we would like to see South Asia that is peaceful and stable and prosperous our policy in Pakistan is designed to support democratic reformers to ensure that is a peaceful and prosperous place when the president was there in January he also talked about the importance of cracking down on safe havens and ensuring that there was zero tolerance and zero space given to terrorist groups operating wherever they might operate that is that is a shared commitment that brings India and the US closer together as we've said and it's as it's been US policy for many years it is ultimately between the two parties to decide on the pace the scope the character of the talks that bring them together we were encouraged obviously when the Pakistani Prime Minister went to the inauguration of the Indian Prime Minister we were encouraged when the foreign secretary went to Islamabad and obviously we support the robust dialogue and have been encouraging such a dialogue and we will continue to do so yeah we have a microphone coming up Sandhya Mehta I'm a partner with the law firm Philips Lytle I'm curious you mentioned the similarities between the two countries and the common interests one view of this is that the similarities have existed for decades what has changed now that isn't likely to change again in the short term with elections given that countries are you know democracies problematically and also just to make create a slightly more provocative version of the same question in India sometimes the perception has been that maybe the United States is not a reliable partner consistent reliable partner and that's part of the reason why it's had to look elsewhere from time to time what would be your response now look history can either restrain us or we can not be limited by what's possible in the future you know there are histories with all kinds of of our partners around the world and sometimes those histories didn't fulfill the kind of promise we wanted and obviously the people-to- people ties between our countries have been strong for decades may not my family is a product of that our business-to-business ties have been strong for decades we've had you know frankly the people and the businesses have outpaced the government now the governments are are catching up and I do think we should appreciate history but we should not be restrained by it and we are in a new moment we have a new opportunity because we also as you look around the world and you look for those countries that are democracies that uphold the rule of law the peaceful resolution of disputes that have commitments to diversity to tolerance that share in so many values and you know from the human level to the strategic level the U.S. and India are really destined to be best partners and I and I really believe we're on that course now there are all sorts of reasons over the last few decades why we didn't actually achieve that I also don't think that will just happen on its own so you need leaders on both sides that are committed to it and I I've been asked this question many times about you know we're now in presidential season here in the United States I really believe that you know this commitment to India transcends party it is bipartisan I would dare say it's nonpartisan in the in the support that we see for India because of the jointness in in vision that we have for this stable democratic prosperous world and I again it is it is too limiting to think of it in transactional terms it's also too limiting to think about it in terms of the setbacks that we might have on any given day because any two complex big mature countries are going to have disagreements that's why all these dialogues and all these working groups and all these interactions are so important so we can have mechanisms and outlets when there are disagreements and disputes and so that we can see ahead to this bigger set of objectives we have and I I think we're there that's why I think it's not going to be I don't think we're going to see this rollback that is kind of funny you mentioned the end of the administration because I do hear when I travel to India too they're concerned about you know Lane duck president going into the final but that's really most relevant when you've got a huge legislative agenda that we need to get through or something like that but most every area of cooperation is things that we can just do so lame duck president made history by coming to to India twice and to to participating in Republic Day so a lot can happen in the last two years of an administration yeah up at the front if you can keep it brief and let us know again name and affiliation so everybody knows thank you everybody now my name is Abu Saleh Sharif I run the US India Policy Institute here to me it appears India is after cheap money for investments but often investments come cheap money investments come with inappropriate technology this has reference to money coming from Japan for bullet trains and that kind of technology we are a bit worried about how the new technology is going to affect employment in India I would like to have some comments on that the second is technology might actually force a reduction in employment the adoption of machine-based and you know and within a very short time we already have US India agreement and science and technology during the Manmohan Singh days how are you using that platform to bring technology partnership between India and US so will foreign investment bring technology that could actually reduce jobs and what are we doing on science and tech cooperation good thank you and there is a great role for academics there and I don't see that action still up just two questions that's all about that two questions there is a food security yeah thank you look all this is why we're calling it strategic plus the plus really is meant to capture sense not only an increased scope of geographical coverage since we're operating well outside of South Asia but the plus is meant to capture all those areas that you just discussed I think science and particularly space cooperation is a big area future collaboration global health security is not just a future area of cooperation it is a current area of cooperation we are operating and will be operating in 10 countries outside of India US and Indian development experts health experts scientists in Africa and Asia so I'm I'm actually an education I think is an up frankly an unfulfilled area we could do so much more and there's plenty of exchanges lots of tremendous intellectual capability in both countries obviously but we haven't quite yet harnessed the potential and in higher education collaboration I hear that from a lot of university presidents in both places that want to do more so we we're gonna we're gonna work on that and we got to do more not just in higher education but in skills development and skills training which I think leads to your first question on the impact of technology on on job creation we have I think that concern is not unique to India we have that we had that concern we continue to have that concern here I grew up in a place you know that relied on coal and steel from the 1800s into the 1970s that economy if you look at Pittsburgh today that economy has transformed into a health technology high-tech center and has has really persevered this is a question for India to decide how it wants what kind of workforce it wants to have how much of domestic manufacturing it wants to have how it uses technology I don't view the importation of technology is incompatible with economic growth or with job creation but these are this is what economists and government officials spend their days ensuring they have the right balance and right mix for yeah about three or four minutes let's get some from further from the back all the way in the corner there hello my name is Harjab Singh from Brenton Woods committee it's a pleasure to have you here today Ambassador Burma my question is on people people exchange one of my concerns as an American is that the people people exchange that's going on in India is mainly with the Indian to sport community what can we do to broaden it so that more Americans can be part of that people people exchange and so that we can have more constructed dialogue on SMEs university exchanges entertainment you name it so that the initiative is actually a permanent renewed initiative that we can work for decades and not stop flat after Obama's administration leaves it's a it's a great question I actually think the exchanges go beyond the diaspora community I think that's what you were mentioning we when we see the number of students American students now studying in India the number of scholars studying in India it's well outside the diaspora community when you look at the kind of cultural and art exchanges when you look at the literature kind of collaboration obviously there's a set of connections and foundation in the diaspora community but I think it now goes broader I do agree with you that we should try and look for ways to spread it into other communities and I know that our State Department is working very hard on that and I know our mission in India and the four consulates we work very hard at that so it I take the point and the more we can do on that score the better yeah back to the back on the side we'll take one or two more thank you Ambassador Verma for reaching out to centers of center as well as the state of Indian states for educating them how we can help and to do the collaboration but my question is on the what we can do I'm in the India and US to the drug development and new innovation for infectious disease but India has a lot of potential and the unfinished drugs which can be easily transform into a good solution for infectious disease you know there's a lot happening on that score I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people we have in our government not only here in Washington but in New Delhi in the embassy that are working on those sets of issues Center for Disease Control control NIH health and human services I could go on but they have really really robust collaboration and it's not just kind of unfunded or small collaboration they are now bringing significant resources to the table really which grew out of the Ebola crisis and now you know I appreciate what the administration has done so much to make sure this remains remains a priority and so I think you'll see a lot more exciting things to come in the coming year thank you initiatives from the private sector to just a few weeks ago we had an executive from Gilead here talking about the work that they've done on leveraging India's low cost production for HIV medicines and alpha hepatitis you know really kind of replicating the work that they've done with HIV and the hepatitis medicine so you know private sector also is stepped in on occasions and then shown that you know they can leverage it as well okay we'll go with we'll go with one last one let's take right over there please yeah make it a good one this is the home run hitter here all right so make it a good one make it an easy one Gideon Gross National Foreign Trade Council thank you for coming from your kind of experience that you've had over the past year what is the view in India of you know the recent negotiations with you know TPA and TPP and also would they be interested in kind of joining are they kind of more focused on having a more like South Asia multilateral agreement or would it be kind of a trans-pacific you know area with Southeast Asia and those countries great one no listen I see some my friends from from USTR here so let me just make sure I say this how important TPP and TPA is and I really really mean that because when you think about the Asia rebalance and you think about you think about it in non-defense terms you think about the economic potential of Asia that will be unleashed in this agreement and that will be good for US jobs and the US economy not just you know that is just the reality of what that agreement brings to bear and it is it will be high standards it will have high environmental standards high worker standards and that is exactly the kind of agreement that will help transform Asia and maybe India will be interested in round two we'll see but but that agreement will be core to helping integrate economics and trade in Asia and the United States in a really high standard important way and I'm confident where things are headed on on TPP and and again economic integration for Asia is key for those people who are concerned about security in Asia who are concerned about human rights in Asia who are concerned about all the different risks that Asia faces trade in economics and doing it in a way that is of a with high standards is so critically important India has not been part of these initial discussions you know maybe down the road maybe maybe round two of TPP we'll see thanks great question well please everybody join me in thanking Ambassador Verma for his leadership and it's time spent today