RAMESH SOPARAWALA
India Post News Service
CHICAGO: Indian Consul General in Chicago Sudhaker Dalela has personally invited Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to lead a high-powered trade delegation to India in order to give a further boost to expanding economic relations between state of Illinois and India.
Dalela extended this invitation to the Governor during his recent visit to Springfield at the invitation of Illinois General Assembly He also had meetings with Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan and had a healthy exchange of views with a number of Senators and Representatives on ways to advance the Illinois-India partnership
Dalela called on Governor Pritzker and met with Acting Secretary, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Erin Guthrie and discussed trends in India-US partnership and ways to advance Illinois-India ties in sectors such as agriculture, advanced manufacturing, services sector, knowledge and technology tie-ups. He invited Governor Pritzker to lead a delegation to India to discuss collaborative ventures across diverse sectors.
As the fifth most populous state in the US, Illinois is the economic engine of the Midwest region and a national hub for global commerce being home to 32 Fortune 500 companies, involved in
everything from agribusiness to life sciences, aerospace and financial services. Many large foreign electronics companies have invested or are planning to invest in India such as Samsung, IBM, Dell, LG and Motorola to name a few. Notable corporations like Archer Daniels Midland, McDonalds, Caterpillar, State Farm Insurance, John Deere and Walgreens-Boots Alliance have headquarters here. Many of these companies are evincing renewed interest in India as a result of the Indian government’s eco -friendly policy and ‘Make in India’ campaign.
In his address, the Consul General Dalela conveyed the greetings and friendship of the world’s largest democracy to the people of Illinois and the United States. He said that the strategic partnership between India and the US is based on shared values such as democracy, respect for rule of law, human freedom, free and independent media, and a strong civil society. He said that “at the heart of India-US partnership is the tremendous goodwill, friendship and support at the peoples’ level in the two countries”.
“It is therefore no surprise that the India-US partnership enjoys the strong bi-partisan support both in India and the United States,” Dalela stated.
Referring to the profound socio-economic changes currently underway in India, the Consul General shared the vision of the Indian government for the country’s development and to become a $5-trillion economy in the next five years. He said that “India-US partnership is critical in translating India’s bold vision for development into a reality”.
He invited Illinois based businesses to invest in India and harness the tremendous economic opportunities that are available in the rapidly growing India.
Dalela highlighted wide ranging engagement between India and Illinois in areas such as trade, enhanced bilateral investments, economic cooperation, knowledge partnership, technology tie-ups, and cutting edge joint scientific research. He said that over 10,000 students from India are studying in universities and colleges located in the state of Illinois. He welcomed the strong support of the Illinois political leadership, businesses, academia, vibrant Indian-American community and people at every level to advance India-Illinois ties in all sectors.
The Consul General took time to interact with members of the Indian-American community in Springfield. This was done in the course of a reception organized by the India Association of Greater Springfield. He thanked them for their contribution in advancing the India-US strategic partnership, and for being a bridge of understanding and friendship between the two countries.
