Indian Ambassador to US Ronen Sen says outsourcing is not a one-way street as generally believed and jobs flow both ways between India and the US.
"People know only about call centres in India. What they don't know is that Indian companies are doing the same thing abroad. This is a two-way street," he said.
There are seven centres in the US so far of just one company. There are other companies as well, said Sen, who is visiting North Carolina this week to meet business, academic and political leaders.
His goal is to network, build on the close relations between the two countries, and encourage future business cooperation and academic ties.
India, which now has 14 operating nuclear reactors, needs to build between 35 and 50 reactors to meet growing energy demand, he said.
Taking note of the envoy's remark, the paper observed that India-US nuclear deal "could present a big boon, not only to nuclear developers such as General Electric and Westinghouse but also to nuclear operators such as Duke Energy in Charlotte and Progress Energy in Raleigh".
Asked why India needs to hire foreigners, he said as Indian companies are now investing abroad, they have to look at it in terms of time zones - not just in the US, but all over Europe - and they need people who speak German and other languages.
{{/usCountry}}Asked why India needs to hire foreigners, he said as Indian companies are now investing abroad, they have to look at it in terms of time zones - not just in the US, but all over Europe - and they need people who speak German and other languages.
{{/usCountry}}To be competitive, they need to be based in the US. Not just offices but also local manufacturing plants, he said.
India could not be looked at as only a cheap source of labour as businesses come for the cost savings, but they stay for the quality, Sen said.
There are more FDA-approved pharmaceutical companies in India than in any other country outside the US, he noted.
Any relationship to be stable has to be based on mutual benefit, Sen said.