The US has accorded a “depth” of friendship and strategic partnership to India that is unmatched in the world and it is set to expand further during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington next month, US ambassador Eric Garcetti said on Tuesday.

In an interview to PTI, Garcetti suggested that the two countries are working on certain agreements to bolster defence cooperation and they are likely to be firmed up when Modi visits the US or President Joe Biden comes to India in September for the G20 summit.

On challenges being faced by India from China along its land border as well as in the maritime domain, he said New Delhi can depend on Washington as it stands for respecting borders, sovereignty and the rule of law.

“We will protect and defend these principles. If one country thinks that it can unilaterally change the status quo, that is unacceptable to all of us. We also want to deter action. We would like to see a more peaceful relationship with China for both India and the United States,” he said.

At the same time, Garcetti asserted that “bullying” by anybody would not be acceptable.

He said India-US partnership has assumed greater significance for the world in the context of the current geo-political situation, asserting that the partnership is not only beneficial for the two countries but also for the globe.

“Absolutely. I think you will see agreements reached (during) the prime minister’s visit, perhaps when the president comes back two months later that institutionalise and formalise what we have been doing for the last few years,” Garcetti said when asked whether India and the US are looking at joint development of key military platforms.

“We are offering weapons systems that are cutting edge and also technology transfers that ensure that India can make some of these things here in India,” he said.

“We have not done this for some of our closest allies. So India is accorded a depth of friendship and a strategic partnership that is unlike any other in the world. If that’s not special then nothing is,” he added.

On Modi’s state visit to the US next month, Garcetti said the US is “excited” about the trip and that Washington is looking at further deepening of ties in areas of defence, trade and investment, climate change and people-to-people ties.

“We are so excited about this visit and excited to have the president come here (India) a couple months’ later for the G20 summit,” he said.

Biden is set to visit India in September for the G20 summit.

Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in June. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.

Asked whether India, US partnership has assumed greater significance for the world in the context of the current geo-political situation, he said “absolutely”.

“We are integrating everything — from our military, to our space programmes. We are looking at new trade and investment opportunities, The US became India’s number one trading partner and India sent the most students that were approved last year for visas to study in the US,” he said.

“So these are proof points of how deep the relationship is. But it is not just what we can do for each other. During the (COVID-19) pandemic, the US and India relations helped countries in Africa and the developed world and the developing world achieve greater health outcomes,” he said.

“If we can diversify the supply chain, everything from solar power to green hydrogen, we can combat the climate crisis together. That’s just not good for Indians and Americans alone, that’s good for the world,” the envoy said.

“We share the same concerns. Obviously, in blood and in fortune, we spent a lot in Afghanistan. We want to ensure that terrorism, drugs networks, international criminal networks cannot use Afghanistan as a base and we have been unyielding in saying to how engagements with the United States, you have to stand for principles whether it is women’s rights, whether it is standing against terrorism, whether it is to go after drug trade,” he said.

“I think the US and India stand very strong on this together. And we respect that this is India’s neighbourhood, especially,” he said.

The ambassador said Indian people can count on the US in dealing with these challenges.

As the US looks for an alternative to Chinese products, India’s manufacturing sector has the potential to meet its demands, an Indian-American entrepreneur has said, asserting that American technology and Indian manpower can create another cool economy.

Vinesh Virani, who is working on a number of Indian agricultural products with an emphasis on ayurvedic and organic to meet the American demands which surged post-Covid-19, said it would be helpful for India to open up its market for American products and services.

A lot of manufacturing that shifts from China and other parts of the world can be very much suitable to India, and India can fulfill America’s demand. We (Indian Americans) are looking at (Narendra) Modi’s visit as trade-related, open market, Virani told PTI.

American technology and Indian manpower can create another cool economy, he said. Referring to some of the restrictions imposed by India on the import of certain agricultural products, Virani hoped that Prime Minister Modi and the Biden administration agree on finalising an agreement that would further open up the market on both sides.

Virani applauded President Biden for inviting Prime Minister Modi on an official state visit. Modi has been invited by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for an Official State Visit on June 22.

After so many years, America is recognising India and its leadership, Virani said. Indian Americans who left back in the 60s and 70s had some negative thoughts about India, he said, adding that those perceptions are now changing. “The Modi government did a tremendous job to change the image of India, he said.

I think the market is open very well. Very well-received business policies. The only thing that we are asking him to do is that little bit more, open up in the sense of the ease of (doing) business, Virani said. I saw some of the businessmen complaining that, yes, it is easy to invest, but after that the local people (State and city level) were giving them a hard time. ..that needs to be addressed, he said.

An Indian-American Maths teacher has announced his run for Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, a seat held by Democrat Danny Davis who intends to seek a 15th term in the Congress next year.

Nikhil Bhatia, who has worked in urban education for 11 years as a teacher and principal, presently serves as a local School Council member at Galileo Scholastic Academy in Chicago.

“I’m excited to share a big new step in my life: I am officially a candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District,” Bhatia said in a statement posted on LinkedIn.

According to his campaign statement, Bhatia spent his entire career as an educator in urban communities, including five years as a middle school principal.

During the pandemic, he went back to school at night to get a masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, in order to study how we can tackle the systematic issues that oppress many of our communities.

Bhatia, a Democrat, says he is running for the US Congress as there is an urgent need to address problems faced by students outside the classroom — a gun violence epidemic, staggering student debt, an economy tilted towards special interests, a warming planet, and a democracy in peril.

“I have spent my entire career in urban education, but the obstacles all of our kids face — underfunded schools, gun violence, climate change, and rolling back rights for women and LGBTQ students are overwhelming. We need a solution that goes well beyond the classroom. And to do that, we need to change who we are sending to Washington. Change can’t wait,” Bhatia wrote on LinkedIn.

“If we are going to provide a better future for our children, we can’t keep sending the same career politicians to Washington and hope for a different result,” Bhatia’s campaign statement read.

According to Bhatia, Davis, who presently holds the seat, “is not getting the job done anymore”, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.

“My issue isn’t with Danny’s age (81 years), but with his lack of action,” he said.

Bhatia’s parents moved from India to the USand worked as physicians.

Indian-American Rohit Verma has been named dean of University of South Carolina’s Darla Moore School of Business, effective August 1. Verma joins the Moore School from VinUniversity in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he serves as the founding provost, and is also a professor of operations, technology and information management at Cornell University’s SC Johnson College of Business.

Prior to this, Verma served as dean of external affairs at Cornell’s SC Johnson College of Business. “Dr Verma is an award-winning teacher, a successful researcher, and an innovative leader, and we are pleased to welcome him to the Carolina family,” University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis said.

“His excellent academic record and his international perspective will be great complements to the leading-edge work of the Darla Moore School of Business.”

Verma’s leadership experience at Cornell also includes serving as the executive director for the Center for Hospitality Research and as the founding executive director for the Institute for Healthy Futures.

While on leave from Cornell since 2019, he has served in several concurrent leadership positions at VinUniversity, where he won the Excellent Leader Award in 2021.

“From the very early stage in my academic career, I have taken a multi-disciplinary perspective and collaborated actively with colleagues from other fields,” said Verma.

“I hope to collaborate with all colleagues at the Moore School in ensuring that the school’s core values are reflected and prioritized in all aspects of our work.”

During his time with VinUniversity, Verma has been able to recruit highly accomplished and diverse academic leaders and faculty from over 10 countries, establish a fully integrated campus life system, and develop curriculum programs for all degree programs based on active learning and experiential learning, a University statement read.

Verma has published over 75 articles in prestigious academic journals and has also written numerous reports for the industry audience.

He earned his Ph.D (Business Administration) and MS (Engineering) from the University of Utah, and is a bachelor of technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.