H E Ms Melinda Pavek, Consul General of The USA highlighted tremendous growth potential and abundance of talent in Eastern India at an exclusive session organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce
Kolkata, 27th Oct: Strategic location advantage, an abundance of natural resources and rich talent pool need to be showcased to realize the growth potential of Eastern India felt HE Ms. Melinda Pavek, Consul General of the United States of America while addressing an interactive session organized by the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Ms Melinda Pavek has assumed the position of Consul General of The United States of America in Kolkata in August of 2021.
“Eastern India has tremendous growth potential. To translate the region’s development aspirations into a substantial quantitative increase in the region’s Gross Domestic Product, the stakeholders, including business organizations need to showcase the region’s strategic location, an abundance of natural resources, and rich talent pool,” she said.
Ms Pavek earlier stated that the US is India’s largest trading partner and export market. She cited that the value of trade between the two countries has grown from over USD 20 billion in 2001 to over USD 145 billion in 2019.
She was also optimistic that the trade will rebound in the post-pandemic days, as the trade figures till August 2021 had seen a 50% increase compared to the previous year’s figure.
She also added that the US companies have been consistently the largest source of FDI creating over 5 million jobs in the formal sector.
Citing a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries, she cited that the stock of Indian FDI in the US is about USD 12.7 billion, supporting 70,000 US jobs. It also, she added, contributed to USD 226 million in Research & Development and USD 2.2 billion in US exports.
During the discussion with Ms. Sutithi Munshi of IBG NEWS, H.E. Ms. Melinda Pavek told that the energy sector, especially Solar and renewable energy, will be a major thrust area. Reducing carbon footprint and controlling climate change will be a major path to follow and the US will walk the talk for the world. She also expressed the potential of Bamboos as a green alternative to Plastics.
Mr. Samrat Laha from the Solar Energy Industry segment raised the issue and challenges faced by the industry despite the big picture being bright.
Earlier, Mr Sanjay Budhia, Past President, Indian Chamber of Commerce & MD, Patton International Limited in his Welcome Remarks described the trading relation between the two countries as “Reliable, Robust, Risk free”. He said, “When the entire World is looking at China plus one strategy, or China alternate strategy, there cannot be a better option than India.”
Mr Rudra Chatterjee, Past President, Indian Chamber of Commerce & Chairman, Obeetee gave the formal Vote of Thanks.