Indian diaspora launches 'Mission 2022'

Washington: The three million strong Indian diaspora in the US has launched "Mission 2022" in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industries to make US-India partnership a defining partnership of the 21st century.

"We have set a goal called Mission 2022, which is to have a series of dialogues with the diaspora over the next seven years as India turns 75," entrepreneur M R Rangaswami said during a reception hosted by CII and Indian diaspora, which among others was attended by US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. These dialogues would be held every six months.

"The goal is that by 2022, the US-India partnership is a defining partnership of the 21st century," he said on September 21. Highlighting the significant positive change taking place within India, CII president Sumit Sumter invited the diaspora to invest in India's transformation, avail the immense opportunities available today and be part of the mutual growth story.

Sitharaman applauded the vision of President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighted the significant deepening of commercial ties between the two nations and their businesses.

Pritzker stressed on the work cut out by both the governments to make this into a USD 500 billion economic engagement between the oldest and the largest democracies in the world. Together the two leaders highlighted the substantial steps taken by the two government in the direction of boosting trade and investments.

Amidst the ongoing wave of optimism and promising developments surrounding US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue as well as Modi's anticipated second visit to the US major stakeholders joined in the reception to celebrate the flourishing Indian diaspora and to place them front and centre within the context of the overall bilateral partnership.

Stressing the positively evolving commercial relationship between the countries, both Sitharaman and Pritzker invited the business community to help shape and deepen the economic relationship still further. The growing Indian-American diaspora is heavily invested in the American system and can not only rise to be the backbone of this critical partnership but can help fuel US & India's mutual growth story.