Confederation of Indian Industry
INDIAN ROOTS, AMERICAN SOIL :
INDIA INC. MAKES IT’S MARK ON WASHINGTON DC
Senator John Cornyn, Co-chair of the Senate India Caucus; Congressman Jim McDermott; Ms. Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the U.S.;
Congressman Joseph Crowley, Co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans; and Ms. Kiran Pasricha, Deputy Director
General, CII hold copies of the CII study on the contribution of Indian companies in the U.S. that was released on 30 March 2011 at Capitol Hill,
Washington D.C.
Companies of Indian origin with operations across
the length and breadth of the United States dazzled
Washington DC on March 30, 2011 when a 40
member strong delegation representing 21
companies of the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII) initiative, the India Business Forum (IBF) came
to engage with Senators, Congressmen and
women, trade policy experts, Capitol Hill staffers and
US businesses. The delegation came with one
unified message: We are companies with Indian
roots, and we are creating jobs, value and wealth in
the United States.
Confederation of Indian Industry
The highlight of the day was a CII reception on
Capitol Hill which saw participation from 15
Members of Congress across party lines, reflecting
the truly bipartisan acceptance of and support for the
broader US-India political, economic, strategic,
commercial and people-to-people relationship. It
was particularly striking to see Members of
Congress from diverse states such as Washington,
Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, Indiana, Arkansas, California, and
Minnesotta stand side-by-side with companies with
operations in those states and praise the
investments made, and the jobs created.
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Clockwise: Congressman Joseph Crowley (New Jersey), Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans; Senator Amy
Klobuchar (Minnesota) with Dave Riggan, Sr. Vice President & CFO, Essar Minerals Americas and Poornima Vupulluri, Essar Americas;
Representative John Altmire (Pennsylvania) with K R L Narasimham, Executive Vice President and Country Head, Larsen and Toubro;
Representative Erik Crawford (Arkansas) with Greg Tilley, President, Infotech Enterprises America; Representative Jean Schmidt with
Mr.Surya Kant, President, TCS North America; Senator John Cornyn (Texas), Co-Chair, Senate India Caucus and; Congressman Ed Royce,
Co-Chair, Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
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Confederation of Indian Industry
The evening reception drew significant numbers of
lawmakers and staff members from the US Capitol
who came to meet and interact with IBF member
companies, and also to call for companies to invest in
other states. To mark the occasion, CII also released
a report ‘Indian Roots, American Soil: A Look at
Indian Companies in the U.S. Economy’ which
highlighted some key facts:
• Since 2005, nearly two-thirds of Indian
companies have added jobs to their U.S.
operations.
• Tog ether, these 35 companies employ more
than 60,000 people across 40 states and the
District of Columbia.
• More than four-fifths of workers at these
companies are hired locally.
• An overwhelming majority of workers who are
employed at these companies are American
citizens.
• India-based companies that have operations in
the U.S. have saved 2,585 jobs from being
eliminated due to their acquisition of U.S. firms.
• The value of these acquisitions since 2005 is $5.9
billion.
In addition to several members of Congress, the
evening was graced by the presence of key
members of the India Caucus in Congress: Senator
John Cornyn, Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus
and Representatives Ed Royce and John Crowley,
Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian Americans.
"The relationship between the U.S. – the world’s oldest democracy – and India – the world’s largest democracy –
has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Trade in goods and services between the United States and India
has grown exponentially, creating countless economic opportunities for both our countries and providing U.S.
consumers with access to affordable goods."
– Senator John Cornyn, Co-Chair, Senate India Caucus
From Left: Dave Ryan, Head, Tata Communications and Master of Ceremonies for the evening reception; Melanie Carter-Maguire, Vice
President, Government Relations, Wipro Technologies; Representative Hansen Clarke (Michigan) with Stu McGowan, CEO, and Ashish Tholia,
Bharat Forge America; Jodi Le Blanc, Vice President-Sales and Marketing International, Taj Hotels, Palaces and Resorts.
“The investment made by Tata Consultancy Services
(TCS) in Cincinnati, Ohio has generated 450 jobs,
saved a building from being demolished, and also
improved the tax base in the district.”
– Representative Jean Schmidt (Ohio)
“Essar Steel’s $1.3 billion investment in an iron ore
pellet mine in Minnesota helped save the mine where
my grandfather worked.”
– Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota)
L-R: Amb.Meera Shankar with Steve Pratt, CEO, Claire Fontino and Sunder Sarangan, Infosys Consulting; Representative Ed Royce (California)
with Mr.Gowri Shankar Vembu, AGM, Corporate Marketing, HCL America and Representative Frank Pallone (New Jersey) with Shushma
Rajagopalan, Head, Global Strategy, Larsen and Toubro.
Confederation of Indian Industry
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During the day, CII also brought together a cross
section of policy experts and trade specialists in a
session co-organized by the Global Business
Dialogue which was represented by Mr. Judge
Morris, President and Co-Founder. The session was
addressed by Ambassador Meera Shankar and
moderated by Ambassador Sue Esserman, Partner,
Steptoe and Johnson and former Deputy USTR. In
the course of a panel discussion, members of the CII
India Business Forum provided an overview of their
companies’ operations in the U.S., highlighting in
particular, the extent of the investments made in the
US economy, current expansion plans, and
community initiatives. IBF Members who spoke at
the session included, Wipro Technologies, Ranbaxy
Inc., Welspun Tubular LLC and Essar Minerals
Americas.
CII-Global Business Dialogue Session on ‘Indian Roots, American Soil: A Look at Indian Companies in the American Economy’ (L-R): Judge
Morris, President, GBD; Ambassador Sue Esserman, Partner, Steptoe and Johnson; James Kovaloski – General Manager Operation, Welspun
Tubular LLC; Chuck Caprariello, Vice President, Government Affairs and Corporate Communications, Ranbaxy Inc; Martha Bejar, President of
Global Sales & Operations, Wipro Technologies and; Dave Riggan, Sr. Vice President & CFO, Essar Minerals Americas.
In addition, as part of the effort to sustain the ongoing
interaction between the members of the CII India
Business Forum and the Embassy of India,
Washington DC, CII organized a closed door
discussion with Ms.Meera Shankar, Ambassador of
India to the United States. Also present during the
session were Ambassador Arun Singh, Deputy Chief
of Mission and Mr.Vinay Kwatra, Minister
(Commerce). The discussion centered on the
ongoing concerns of Indian companies operating in
the US, specific policy challenges while also focusing
attention on the overall growth of the US-India
economic, commercial and strategic bilateral
relationship.
Ms.Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the United States with members of the CII-India Business Forum at the Embassy of India,
Washington DC.
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Confederation of Indian Industry