CII Communique - February, 2010
CII Communique - February, 2010
CII Communique - February, 2010
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eport<br />
US-India Strategic Dialogue<br />
Experts in academia, industry and the government<br />
from India and the US came together at the ‘US-India<br />
Strategic Dialogue’ organised by <strong>CII</strong> and the Aspen<br />
Strategy Group (ASG) on 9-10 January in New Delhi.<br />
The delegates held in-depth discussions in advancing<br />
Indo-US relations with a strategic perspective, as part<br />
of their Track II dialogue. They exchanged views on<br />
issues relating to energy and climate change, the<br />
defence partnership and bilateral relations post the<br />
economic recession. They also discussed possible<br />
options in tackling geopolitical issues in Pakistan,<br />
Afghanistan and China.<br />
Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister for Environment and<br />
Forests, India, delivered the keynote address on the<br />
first day of the Strategic Dialogue on India’s plans on<br />
energy and climate change and gave a de-briefing of<br />
the Copenhagen accord. On the second day, Mr B J<br />
Panda, MP, gave the keynote on India’s democratic<br />
structure, explaining the rise of regional parties.<br />
The US delegation met with officials from the Government<br />
of India, including Mr SM Krishna, Minister for<br />
External Affairs; Mr Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for<br />
Communications and IT; Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of<br />
Naval Staff; Mr Shyam Saran, Prime Minister’s Special<br />
Envoy for Climate Change; Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia,<br />
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, and Mr MK<br />
Narayanan, former National Security Advisor.<br />
Dinner with Richard Holbrooke<br />
<strong>CII</strong> organized a<br />
meeting of India’s<br />
leading industrialists,<br />
former diplomats,<br />
M e m b e r s o f<br />
Parliament, officials<br />
of the Indian armed<br />
forces and officials<br />
of the US Embassy<br />
i n N e w D e l h i<br />
with Ambassador<br />
Richard Holbrooke,<br />
Tarun Das, former Chief Mentor, <strong>CII</strong>,<br />
U S S p e c i a l<br />
greets Ambassdor Richard Holbrooke, US<br />
Representative for Special Representative for<br />
Afghanistan and<br />
Afghanistan-Pakistan<br />
Pakistan and the delegation accompanying him, on<br />
18 January in New Delhi. The two sides engaged in<br />
wide ranging discussions on India’s strategic role in<br />
reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and promoting<br />
stability in the South Asian region.<br />
IBF Members in the Spotlight<br />
L&T<br />
India's Larsen & Toubro said its whollyowned<br />
unit won two turnkey projects<br />
for computerising the maintenance<br />
of rolling assets of the Indian<br />
Railways.<br />
Ranbaxy<br />
Ranbaxy Laboratories has started discussions to buy<br />
a privately-held Bangalore-based vaccine company,<br />
persons familiar with the development said. While the<br />
identity of the company could not be ascertained, the<br />
Bangalore-based company is said to be small in size<br />
and the deal could be valued around Rs 50 crore.<br />
Tata's Nano<br />
The world's cheapest car is being readied for sale in<br />
the US, but by the time India's Tata Nano is retrofitted<br />
to meet emissions and safety standards, it won't be<br />
that cheap. Reports suggest it could cost $8000 in<br />
the US. Tata Technologies Ltd., the global engineering<br />
arm of the Tata group conglomerate, brought the tiny<br />
car to Detroit.<br />
Tata Communications<br />
Tata Communications has launched its data centre in<br />
Pune and said it plans to invest up to Rs 500 crore over<br />
the next three years. Spread across nearly 55,000 sq<br />
ft, the data centre would offer services like co-location,<br />
managed hosting and storage.<br />
Alstom- Bharat Forge JVs<br />
An Indian cabinet panel has approved the setting up of<br />
joint ventures by a consortium of France's Alstom and<br />
India's Bharat Forge Ltd to manufacture super critical<br />
and sub-critical power plant equipment in India.<br />
US-India Bilateral Update<br />
• The US and India announced the formulation of the<br />
US-India aviation security working group, a bilateral interagency<br />
and inter-ministry working group. The group is<br />
led on the US side by the US Transportation Security<br />
Administration and on the Indian side by the Ministry<br />
of Civil Aviation.<br />
• Spelling out the agenda for the administration in<br />
its second year, the White House has said President<br />
Barack Obama and his team will work towards promoting<br />
stronger bilateral cooperation with countries such as<br />
India, Brazil, China and South Africa.<br />
• Expressing concern over reported US plans to<br />
provide Pakistan with the lethal drones, the Indian<br />
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