India to raise outsourcing issue in US trade meeting

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Sep 21 (PTI) Indian industrialists would take
up the outsourcing issue during the Indo-US Private Sector
Advisory Group (PSAG) meeting here on Tuesday, Federation of
Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Rajan
Bharati Mittal said.
"Tomorrow (Tuesday), we will take in the PSAG (Private
Sector Advisory Group) the outsourcing issue," Mittal said
ahead of the trade advisory group meeting on the sidelines of
the Trade Policy Forum meeting, co-chaired by the Union
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and his American
counterpart Ron Kirk.
Sharma arrived in Washington from Chicago on Monday
evening and soon thereafter had a meeting with the Indian
CEOs, here to attend the PSAG meeting.
"I have already told the Minister (Sharma) that as a
industry body we are raising the issue of outsourcing," Mittal
said.
He added, "On the one hand they (Americans) are talking
about Indo-US partnership in innovation and technology and
allowing all services; on the other they are restricting
peoples services. That's something which is not acceptable."
"This is a serious issue for India. This is an important
issue for us and we will take this us seriously," he said.
When asked what was the response from the United States
on the issues raised by India with regard to outsourcing and
visa fee hike, he said it was a "cold response".
Notably, Sharma is yet to receive the response to the
letter he wrote to Kirk on hike of categories of H-1B and L1
visas.
Besides outsourcing, the PSAG would be discussing three
important issues – logistics and urban development; urban
infrastructure and technology and services.
"We have put a paper from Indian side on urban
infrastructure and logistics. They have put a paper on
technology innovation and services," Mittal said. PTI LKJ RET
MRD



The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive use of the addressee(s) and may contain
proprietary, confidential or privileged information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify
the sender immediately and destroy all copies of this message and any attachments
contained in it.