(a) whether USA has exempted India from mandatory condition of import Certificate to enhance business in high technology areas;
(b) if so, the benefits likely to be accrued to India after this exemption; and
(c) the other steps taken or likely to be taken by both the countries to improve the economic relations?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( SHRI JAI RAM RAMESH)
(a): Yes Sir. Through a Federal Register Notification of December 1, 2005, the Bureau of Industry and Security, US Department of Commerce announced the removal of requirement for Import Certificates in various countries, including India. These Import Certificates were required earlier in support of any request for export or re-export license from the US, in case of India and some other countries.
(b): This exemption will facilitate and expedite the processing of requests for import of dual use and controlled high technology items from the US for Government entities such as those under Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) and others.
(c): India and US have a High Technology Cooperation Group that had its fourth meeting in November-December, 2005 to further high technology cooperation and strategic trade in such areas as biotechnology, nanotechnology, defence technology and Information Technology. During the visit of the Prime Minister to Washington D.C. in July, 2005, the two countries agreed to revitalize the India-US Economic Dialogue to focus on specific issues to advance bilateral economic cooperation. The two sides also launched a CEO`s Forum comprising business leaders of the two countries to benefit from their inputs on taking our relationship forward. The Trade Policy Dialogue was upgraded into a Trade Policy Forum and had its first meeting in New Delhi in November 2005. The India-US Finance and Economic Forum also met in November 2005. A new Information and Communications Technology Working Group was set up during the visit of the Prime Minister and had a meeting in Washington DC
in December 2005. India and US have also launched a Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture that is currently evolving a detailed workplan for implementation in the coming years.