India weathered recession better than others: Clinton

Lalit K Jha

Washington, July 16 (PTI) US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has said that India weathered the global economic
slump better than others.

"The economic actions that India is taking -- they
weathered the beginning of the recession better than many
places, what are they going to do to keep generating growth,
lifting people out of poverty? The Congress Party made a
number of, you know, important campaign promises to the poor,
particularly the rural poor," Clinton said on the eve of her
departure to India.

Improving the economic relationship between the two
countries would be a major focus of her five-day trip to
India, with Mumbai -- the financial Capital - being her first
stopover. Besides attending an event for the 26/11 terrorist
attack, Clinton would be meeting the top CEOs of India headed
by Ratan Tata of the Tata Group.

"When I am there, I will visit the first LEED-certified
building in India to talk about climate change and clean
energy.

"We know that India and China have understandable
questions about what role they should be expected to play in
any kind of new global climate change regime," Clinton said
after delivering a major foreign policy speech at the Council
on Foreign Relations -- a Washington-based think tank.

The Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern will be
accompanying her to India, Clinton said. "It is our hope that
we can, through dialogue, come up with some win-win
approaches. This LEED-certified building is a perfect example
of what India would be capable of doing," she said.

Clinton said she would also be visiting an agricultural
facility as India is really hoping to continue to expand
agricultural productivity. "But, then they have to create an
infrastructure so that the crops get to a market. We have to
have farm-to-market roads. You have to have storage and
refrigeration facilities," she said.

Visiting India for the first time in the capacity as the
Secretary of State, Clinton said she is excited about her trip
to the country, which she has already visited in various
capacities beginning as the First Lady.

"I'm excited. I am very much looking forward to my
meetings with the prime minister (Manmohan Singh), and
certainly with Minister Krishna and others in India. And, you
know, we're going to do everything we can to broaden and
deepen our engagement," Clinton said. PTI LKJ
skt
NNNN