Obama visit to bring Make In India tidings

New Delhi, Jan 20: Happening like a quick follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's November US visit that secured its corporate commitments of $41 billion in India, President Barack Obama's visit later this week is expected to result in major announcements on the Make In India front, informed sources said. Amitabh Kant, secretary in the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), is currently heading a team in Washington for an outreach on the Make in India programme Tuesday that will be attended by all top American companies with interests in India A source in the commerce and industry ministry told IANS that the outreach will convey the improved environment for doing business in India and assure US investors of a stable policy regime. The delegation will meet with officials of several top companies to get investments in the industrial corridors planned in India. During the Obama visit, intellectual property rights and a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) would be key issues on the agenda, according to a US State Department official. The commerce ministry source said a series of working group meetings are planned on various issues, including intellectual property rights (IPR), investment in manufacturing, a totalisation pact, market access for agricultural products and an easier visa regime.