Timed close to President Obama’s visit to India, a group of legislative Fellows with the US Department of State is touring the country to deepen their understanding of India and promote bilateral exchange between the two nations. As a part of this programme, the delegation arrived in Dehradun on Wednesday to participate in a two-day ‘Uttarakhand- America Entrepreneurship Exchange Summit- 2015’ at World Integrity Center, India starting Thursday.
Ahead of the conclave, the panelists gave an exclusive interview to The Pioneer, bringing a rich variety of expertise and perspective. The group comprised Scott Blake, Advisor to Ohio Governor John Kasich; Ken Dobson, Head of Economic Development, Fulton county government; Frieda Edgette, Principal, Novos Consulting; Wayne Encalarde, Encalarde Consultants, New Orleans; Kwanza Hall, City Counselor, Atlanta; Dr. Eloisa Klementich, Managing Director, Business Development at Invest Atlanta and Kyla Williams, Director of Operations with Smart Chicago Collaborative programme.
Outlining their expectations of the summit, Dobson stated, “We hope to have knowledge, exchange, creation of infrastructure that would increase bilateral trade and the exploration of foreign and domestic investments that would help to facilitate the rate of growth both in India and U.S.A.” adding, “Under the leadership of Modi, what appears to be happening as viewed from economic and business development perspective is the streamlining of many processes; getting more done in less time while still protecting public interest.”
Currently serving his third term on the Atlanta City Council, Hall observed that there was an incredible amount of hope in India in terms of people feeling that they are at the cusp of something really great, adding that there is a need to be cautiously optimistic. “I have always admired the East for their philosophical grounding and for their way of life. But what will happen to this when it meets market-forcesIJ The question is- are entrepreneurs in India also going to innovate in the human development space for that is where the opportunity is greater than anywhere else.”
As the conversation steered to contentious laws and issues, Edgette commented, “It is about listening genuinely to what people need- getting feedback from different stakeholders, use that human data, blend it with empirical information and make policies within the legal framework. A core component of our political process is the public hearing process and using a strong grassroots model for bringing about any change.”
Relating the situation here to U.S.A, Williams highlighted the importance of an open data policy and data transparency. Quizzed on the issue of tackling corruption in India, political expert Blake said that it was human nature and at some level politics and corruption would always be interlinked but we need to deal with it seriously. “For example, Ohio has very strict ethics laws, including the Revolving Door law, and it does act as a barrier.”