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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Talk discusses U.S.-India relations

From non-proliferation to education, India and the United States have a dynamic and historical friendship, Ambassador Arun K. Singh said.

In a talk Friday sponsored by the India Studies Program, Singh, the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of India to the U.S. in Washington, spoke about the relationship between India and the United States.

Singh, former ambassador of India to Israel from 2005 to 2008, discussed the topic, “India and the U.S.: The Challenges of Partnership.”

Sumit Ganguly, director of the IU India Studies Institute, said he invited Singh to speak so IU students and the Bloomington community could learn more about U.S. relations with India.

Throughout history, government officials have agreed that
India and the U.S. should be natural allies, even though they have had problems with each other, Singh said.

Singh’s talk centered around seven pertinent issues in U.S.-Indian relations: nuclear non-proliferation, climate change, terrorism, trade and investment, cooperation in the energy sector, defense and education.

Nuclear non-proliferation

Non-proliferation is the call for nations to stop acquiring nuclear weapons. India has argued for global disarmament but would not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Singh said.

India didn’t want to divide the world between those who had nuclear weapons and those who didn’t, Singh said. He also said some countries who signed it don’t follow it anyway.

Until the Indo-U.S. Civilian Nuclear Agreement, the U.S. and India fought with one another about the nuclear issue – the U.S. wanted to stop more countries from getting nuclear weapons. The agreement outlines U.S. and Indian nuclear cooperation. Singh said an exception was made for one country, India, in terms of allowing nuclear facilities.

Education

“Ninety-five thousand Indian students attend university in the U.S.,” Singh said. “India spends $3 billion a year in U.S. education.”

As a result, India is looking to partner with U.S. universities in order to collaborate a new type of curriculum for Indian and U.S. students. Attendees asked whether the Indian Studies Program will be involved, and Singh said that Indian officials will be meeting with universities soon to figure out the details.

Infrastructure

When asked what impact the highway system will have on India, Singh responded that there may be problems with land acquisition, but that it would help transport goods more easily.

“There is also concern that the highway might cause spread of HIV from city to city,” said Maina Chawla Singh, Arun Singh’s wife.

Graduate student Manjeet Pardesi asked Singh if the government is making investments in the agricultural sector.

“Much more needs to be done,” he said. “The challenge is to increase productivity and prevent post-harvest losses.”

He said that since Walmart was instituted in India, the Indian government has been working with them to solve agricultural problems.

“The basic approach is that we need to build on the positive elements,” Singh said.

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