US ready to help Jaya on Vision 2023

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The United States is committed to helping Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa realise her development goals for the state, said US ambassador to India Nancy J. Powell at a meeting organised by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce here on Monday.

“The relationship between the US and Tamil Nadu stretches back for centuries. The US appointed its first Consular Agent to Chennai in 1794,” she said, adding that the US is committed to working with progressive state leaders to reduce barriers to trade and investment and strengthen mutually beneficial economic relationships between the two countries.

“Lots of opportunities for economic partnership exist in India and they are not limited to large international businesses and do not exist only at the national level. There are dynamic Indian leaders at the state level open and willing to engage with the US government and US businesses,” Ms Powell said.

She said progressive states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat present an incredible opportunity for American businesses. The US mission in India will expand state-level trade and investment between the US and India, she added.

Addressing a gathering of business leaders in the state, Ms Powell said under the ambitious infrastructure development plan ‘Vision Tamil Nadu 2023’, the chief minister has identified specific development priorities such as sanitation, housing, education, and improved infrastructure.

“She has also set a goal of 11 per cent growth in the gross state domestic product over 10 years to put the state on par with upper middle-income countries in South East Asia,” Ms Powell added.

With Tamil Nadu being home to major American companies in almost every economic sector creating direct and indirect jobs, Ms Powell said the US would seek to leverage the innovative work and broadened connections across financial, technology, and human capital at the state, city, and local levels.