Blitz Bureau
I he US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is quietly fast-tracking approval of new PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ for use by the semiconductor industry at the same time the agency is publicly touting increased scrutiny of new PFAS and other chemicals, reported The Guardian.
India-US economic ties greatly benefit from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive advantages. The mobility of skilled professionals is a key component of this collaboration,External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
Amid a debate over H1B visas on which President-elect Donald Trump and his backer Elon Musk commented recently, New Delhi looks forward to further deepening India-U.S. economic ties for mutual benefit. India, known for its massive pool of IT professionals, many of whom work across the world, accounts for the bulk of such visas issued by the United States.
Trump had recently said that he fully backed the H1B programme for foreign workers opposed by some of his supporters after Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, vowed to go to “war” to defend it.
India said such visas provided mutual benefits. “Our countries have a strong and growing economic and technological partnership and within this ambit, mobility of skilled professionals is an important component,” India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, told a press conference when asked about the H1B visa discussions in the US.
“India-US economic ties benefit a lot from the technical expertise provided by skilled professionals, with both sides leveraging their strengths and competitive value. We look forward to further deepening India-US economic ties which are to our mutual benefit.” India received about 78 per cent of the 265,777 H1B visas issued by the United States in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023.
The country is keen to strengthen ties under Trump, Jaiswal said, noting that India’s foreign minister and foreign secretary recently visited the United States and held meetings with Trump’s transition team.
