Indian govt, firms spend over $10-mn for lobbying in the US

Washington, July 26 (PTI) With the US lawmakers holding
key to a vast number of issues affecting India and its
corporates, the Indian government and a handful of private
entities have together spent over 10 million dollars this year
alone on lobbying activities in the power corridors here.

In efforts to push forward their case in the US Congress
and the administration on issues such as nuclear deal in case
of the government and those related to foreign trade,
immigration and other regulatory matters as also individual
business ventures in case of private Indian entities, nearly
5.6 million dollars were paid to the lobbyists in the second
quarter of 2009, according to the set of lobbying disclosure
reports filed with the US Senate for this period.

Prior to this, India had already paid nearly 4.6 million
dollars in the first quarter ended March 31, 2009, taking the
total for the year to over 10 million dollars (Rs 50 crore).

Interestingly, the Indian government and the country's
largest private sector firm Reliance Industries, which is run
by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, together accounted
for nearly three-fourth of the total lobbying spending by
India and Indian companies among the US lawmakers.

Other entities having indulged in lobbying activities, as
per the available disclosure reports for the latest quarter,
include Tata Sons Ltd, software industry body Nasscom, Gujarat
Flurochemicals, Sun Pharma and Orchid Chemical.

According to the disclosure reports filed by high-profile
lobbyist firm BGR, which has both RIL and the Indian
government as its clients, it was paid a total of 1,90,000
dollars in April-June 2009 towards lobbying activities done
for the Indian petrochemicals major.

This amount was bigger than even the 1,80,000-dollar
payment that BGR received for lobbying done for Republic of
India during the same period. However, the individual lobbying
expenses for both RIL and the government, as also the issues
on which they are lobbying, have remained unchanged from the
previous quarter.

RIL, which has previously been warned of possible
penalties by the Barack Obama administration for its business
ties with Iran, is lobbying on 'trade (domestic/foreign)'
issues, and its Lobbyist has named the US House of
Representatives and the US Senate among the houses and
agencies for these lobbying activities.

BGR lobbyists have previously served in the White House
and Congress and also in other senior positions at various
other agencies and the firm is known to have been effective at
stopping or changing many policies considered to be harmful
for its clients. Its client list comprises of many Fortune 500
companies, foreign governments and trade associations.

At the same BGR is lobbying on 'foreign relations' issues
for the government and the specific issues include "bilateral
US-India relationship and issues related to civil nuclear
agreement".

For the Indian government, BGR has been lobbying with the
US House of Representatives, Senate, Departments of Commerce,
Defence, Labour and State, Executive Office of President,
National Security Council (NSC) and US Trade Representative.

The Indian government has been lobbying among the
American lawmakers since 2005 on issues related to nuclear
deal and bilateral Indo-US relationships and its total
spending has reached 2.59 million dollars (about Rs 13 crore).
This includes 3,60,000 dollars paid to BGR in the two quarters
of 2009 and 2.23 million paid to the same lobbyist between
2005 and 2008.

The government's lobbying bill in 2008 stood at USD
630,000 for 2007 it was USD 640,000, while the maximum of USD
720,000 for a year was in 2006. A payment of USD 240,000 was
made in 2005. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the
then US president George Bush had first announced their
intention to enter into a nuclear agreement in July 2005.

The first instance of lobbying-related payment was made
by the Indian government in the last quarter of 2005. BGR
"provided guidance and counsel with regard to issues impacting
bilateral relations between the US and the Republic of India,
including a potential civil nuclear agreement." PTI BJ
AM
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