- Tuesday, April 23, 2024
By: India Weekly Staff
New York City mayor Eric Adams has said he wants to encourage the Indian community to participate in the political landscape as he underscored the importance of the diaspora’s contribution and role towards the prosperity of the city.
A former police officer, Adams addressed chief executives of leading Indian companies from diverse sectors such as banking, finance, pharmaceuticals, retail, diamond and information technology at a CEOs roundtable organised by the Consulate General of India in New York Tuesday (19).
“It is very important that we understand the role that the Indian community plays in the prosperity of the city, in three areas. One, I want to encourage them to participate in the political landscape, that should be part of their business plan,” Adams told PTI.
“The second is that I want them to give us ideas on what skills our children are going to need for the future. And lastly, it is important that we ask them to help with having our children intern and volunteer so that they can learn some of the skills of some of the major companies here. We want to continue to expand and let them know we are partners together in their business growth,” he added said.
Consul general of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal said the mayor’s discussion and engagement with CEOs of leading Indian companies at the roundtable provides an opportunity to see “how we can strengthen our business connect with the city of New York and to add strength to India-US relations,” particularly economic ties in the startup, tech, finance and energy sectors.
Jaiswal highlighted that India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world and the country is expanding digital public infrastructure at the fastest rate globally and the roundtable amplified this message.
The consulate organised and hosted the roundtable with a focus on strengthening the connection between the office of the New York City Mayor and the Indian and Indian-American business community in the area.
Among the CEOs who participated in the roundtable were Tata Consultancy Services chairman North America Suresh Muthuswami, Tata Sons Country Head – North America Michael Mccabe, Indivate Inc.
(ITC Owned Company) executive director and president Bhavani Parameswar.
Amneal Pharmaceuticals co-CEO New York Branch Chintu Patel, Strides Pharma chief business officer Shivaprasad Naikoti, State Bank of India (SBI) New York branch CEO Prashanta Tripathi, Canara Bank chief executive Jaya Rajappan, Empire State Titans founder & owner Hiren Kumar and Elements Truffles co-founder Kushal Choksi.
Deputy commissioner for the New York City mayor’s office for international affairs Dilip Chauhan highlighted the priority and importance being accorded by the mayor’s office in supporting international businesses and companies to build their base as well as expand in the city.
He noted that the office is focused on enhancing economic engagement with the international business community and underlined the incentives being extended to companies to grow their footprint across the five boroughs of the city – Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island.
Chauhan emphasised that the mayor’s message is “Get Stuff Done” and the New York City leader has always emphasised that “bureaucratic process should not stop you” from expanding commerce and businesses in New York City.
Chauhan manages the portfolio for Trade, Investment and Innovation for the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) chief operating officer Gaurav Verma described the meeting as “fantastic” and said the mayor was “extremely positive” about his plans for the city and how Indian Americans can contribute to it.
Describing the mayor as “very welcoming and very futuristic”, Verma said he “recognises India’s position now globally and is very clear about the fact that whatever plans he has for the city, India and Indian-Americans need to be a part of that plan.”
(PTI)
