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Why was the Garwood Center personally invited to this event by the President of the USIBC? How is this innovative center in Berkeley Haas making an impact in India?
In celebration of Berkeley Haas and UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering contributing to building Smart Cities in India, Professor Solomon Darwin was invited as a special guest to represent Berkeley Haas at the USIBC’s 40th anniversary in Washington, D.C.* Featured guests included: Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, Minister of India Sushma Swaraj, and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
What are India and the United States’ plans to maintain this partnership beyond this 40 year celebration? How are they planning on developing?
“Our goal is to be India’s best friend. The President and I, and the entire administration believe that the India-US relationship will be a relationship that will go a long way in defining the findings of the 21st century.” – Joe Biden, Vice President of the United States
The Obama Administration declared Vizag as a Smart City project and Professor Solomon’s UC Berkeley students will be presenting solutions of Vizag’s issues to the Cabinet of India in January. India plans to build 100 Smart Cities, rejuvenate the Ganges River (and developing cities along its banks), and build 300 million youth-aged citizen’s job skills by 2022. The United States will contribute with its top corporate leaders and business as well as their knowledge of Smart Cities to speed up India’s economic growth.
Joe Biden expressed that both superpowers have great potential for trade and investment, but many reforms are needed. As of now, the United States is doing everything in its power to support Prime Minister Modi’s reforms, which address foreign and domestic investment in infrastructure, manufacturing, digital technology, education, and healthcare. Prime Minister Modi’s ambitious economic reforms call for implementation of projects in these areas to be speeded up, tax policies to be clear and consistent, and India to adhere to “green goals” which reduce the dependence of energy and increase sustainability.
“I want to urge American Investing Community to come to us with specific ideas and issues. The latest technology will help India in bringing affordable access energy for all our people. India is already Asia’s third largest economy, and is set to become the largest clean energy market in the next decade.” – Piyush Goyal, Union Power Minister
The collaboration between India and the United States will benefit both superpowers by boosting their economic markets and supporting each other’s movements towards sustainable energy sources, in order to aid their surrounding environments and the Earth. Hopefully, as we look to new technologies and ways of being, India and the United States will celebrate another 40 years- with the Garwood Center supporting their innovative movements toward Smart Cities.
*The United States-India Business Council (USIBC) is an organization which strives to strengthen economic relations between the two superpowers
By Lorja Fogel