US Consulate to open in Bengaluru on January 17: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya thanks PM Modi, Jaishankar

While announcing the news in Kannada, Tejasvi Surya congratulated External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in a video and expressed his gratitude.

Updated on: Jan 16, 2025, 07:33:16 IST

By Anagha Deshpande

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The US Consulate in Bengaluru is scheduled to open on January 17, as announced by Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on X. He credited the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for making this possible.

Check his post here:

While announcing the news in Kannada, Tejasvi Surya congratulated External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in a video and expressed his gratitude by gifting him Karnataka's iconic Mysore Pak. During their conversation, Jaishankar remarked that Bengaluru truly deserved a consulate.has earlier

Surya has earlier highlighted the long-standing demand for a US Consulate in Bengaluru, which will now save residents significant travel time and expenses. "The people of Bengaluru had to travel to Chennai, Hyderabad, or New Delhi for US visa-related work, costing them ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. The new consulate will benefit four to five lakh people in Karnataka annually," he said.

(Also Read: Bengaluru to get Spanish consulate, says Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar: 'We've agreed to mark 2026 as a dual year')

Earlier, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had confirmed the US's commitment to establishing a consulate in Bengaluru, calling it a critical focus. During an interactive session hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC), Garcetti emphasized Bengaluru's importance as a global tech hub and noted that the US was the only major country without a consulate in the city.

In 2023, during Prime Minister Modi's visit to the United States, President Joe Biden and PM Modi announced plans to open two new US consulates in India, one in Bengaluru and the other in Ahmedabad. Garcetti had expressed optimism about the progress, stating, “We’re committed to opening the consulate in Bengaluru, and we hope to make an announcement soon.”

The US already has a Foreign Commercial Service office in Bengaluru, underscoring its importance in fostering US-India relations. The consulate's opening is expected to ease visa-related processes for Karnataka residents and strengthen bilateral ties between the two nations.

(With PTI inputs)

(Also Read: Karnataka caste census report likely to be placed before cabinet tomorrow)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anagha Deshpande
Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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