On February 24, USISPF convened a round table with Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and senior industry executives to mark President Donald J. Trump’s maiden visit to India. Both sides reviewed the progress of the U.S-India Strategic Energy Partnership and emphasized the centrality of industry in expanding energy access and security between our economies.
MoU on Virtual Gas Pipeline to Expand Gas Access in India
At the USISPF round table, Union Minister of Petroleum, Dharmendra Pradhan and the Secretary of Energy, Dan Brouillette presided over the signing of a Letter of Cooperation between ExxonMobil India LNG Limited (Chart Energy & Chemicals, Inc) and Indian Oil Corporation Limited to establish a system of transportation infrastructure to expand gas access in India.
The Road to $5 Trillion: Next Steps in Growing Trade and Investment between Two of World’s Largest Economies
This panel with Secretary Guruprasad Mohapatra (DPIIT), Mahesh Palashikhar (GE South Asia), Ajay Singh (SpiceJet) and Pankaj Patel (Zydus Cadila) explored short-term and long-term policy steps required to improve India’s ‘ease of doing business’ and reorient India’s trade policies.
U.S.-India Strategic Collaboration in the Indo-Pacific
The panel discussion explored opportunities for Indo-US collaboration in the Indo-Pacific with Ambassador Kanwal Sibal (Former Foreign Secretary); Dr. Christian Hirst (Acting Deputy High Commissioner, Australian High Commission); Ram Madhav (National General Secretary, BJP); William Blair (Lockheed Martin) and Arun Kumar (KPMG India).
Fireside Chat with Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways
At the event, applauding American companies’ efforts in India and encouraging them to deepen their ties in the Indian market, Union Minister Shri Piyush Goyal said, “Investments coming into India will be a natural consequence of a secure neighborhood and the aspirational demands of a billion plus people. The Government is making regulatory adjustments to make investing in India an attractive proposition.”
Shaping the New Economy: Transitions & Trends in Technology
The panel discussed ways in which businesses and governments in both countries can come together to open talks on technology and standard-setting, rules for digital trade and services, and embrace a world of disruptive change. Speakers included: Amitabh Kant (Niti Aayog); Aruna Sundararajan (Former Secretary of Telecom); Sanjay Nayar (KKR); Ajit Mohan (Facebook India) and Uday Shankar (The Walt Disney Company).
Realizing the Potential of ‘Major Defense Partnership’
Panelists discussed the potential of India’s designation as a “Major Defense Partner” of the United States. Discussants included: Ambassador Navtej Sarna (Former Ambassador of India to the US); Sukaran Singh (Tata Advanced System); Sudhakar Gande (FICCI); Ashish Rajvanshi (Adani Group) and Salil Gupte (Boeing India).
Advancing U.S.-India Energy Cooperation
This panel explored the state of the U.S.- India energy partnership, short- and long-term reforms required to seize opportunities in the oil and gas and the renewable space. Speakers included: Sumant Sinha (ReNew Power); Richard Boocock (Air Products); T.Srinivas (Reliance Industries); Sanjiv Singh (Indian Oil); and Deepak Bagla (Invest India).