U.S. Ambassador Congratulates Young Baseball Players from India on their Way to America

U.S. Ambassador to India David C. Mulford May 2 congratulated two young Indians who won the “Million Dollar Arm Hunt,” a nation-wide competition to find the fastest baseball pitchers in India.  Rinku Bhramdeen Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel will be departing for the United States shortly to begin a year of professional training under the sponsorship of J.B. Bernstein, a talent scout for Major League Baseball. (more)

“Steven White, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy-New Delhi, speaking after the unveiling of Congressman Dalip Singh Saund’s marble bust at the New Delhi American Center on May 6, 2008.  Saund was the first Indian-American elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Other dignitaries from left to right are Member of Parliament Trilochan Singh, Former Prime Minister of India I.K. Gujral, and International President of World Punjabi Organization Vikramjit Singh Sahney.”

USAID Supports the Development of India’s Health Insurance Market

“Making Health Insurance Work for the Poor”, a two-day conference organized by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) began May 5 at Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi.  Indian policy makers, health insurance and health care providers, microfinance institutions, NGO leaders and other stakeholders will discuss development of successful health insurance programs with a special focus on providing health care for the poor. (more)

United States Submits Bids to Build India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, New Delhi, April 28, 2008

The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi April 28 submitted the proposals for India’s Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft competition on behalf of  Boeing and Lockheed Martin, two leading American aerospace companies. Indian Air Force planners will have an opportunity to review the capabilities of two of the world’s top two combat fighters, Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet and Lockheed Martin’s F-16 aircraft, with the U.S. government’s support. (more)

"The Year Ahead in South and Central Asia" - Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Foreign Press Center Briefing, Washington, DC, April 23, 2008

"India, there still is a strong sense of momentum in the relationship because there's so many areas of cooperation, of business and science and academia and students and families, even though some things like the nuclear deal are slowed down as we await the outcome of the political process in India. So I think we're still working very hard on a lot of different aspects of this relationship and hope to be able to work hard on the Civil Nuclear Agreement when the Indians say the time has come to move forward again."  (more)

Under Secretary of International Affairs, U.S. Department of Treasury, David H. McCormick's Remarks to The Confederation of Indian Industry & The American Chamber of Commerce, Chennai, April 23, 2008

"The Way Ahead for the U.S.-India Economic Partnership" -- "As India’s presence in global markets expands, it is also increasingly called upon to address global challenges.  India can only be a major player in the global community if it demonstrates much-needed leadership on common challenges and opportunities such as climate change, energy security, non-proliferation, global trade, and investment." (more)

Sixth Meeting of the Indo-U.S. Global Issues Forum

The sixth meeting of the U.S.-India Global Issues Forum was held on April 24, 2008 at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon led the Indian delegation. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky led the U.S. delegation. (more)

Ace American Basketball Coach J.D. Walsh in Mumbai

The U.S. Consulate General in collaboration with YMCA Bombay hosted ace American basketball coach J.D. Walsh who conducted various coaching sessions for school children, coaches and senior basketball players across Mumbai.  The highlight of his stay here in Mumbai was the basketball workshop organized in collaboration with YMCA at Mastan Baug on April 14, 2008. J.D. Walsh, founder of JDBASKETBALL, is a sought after lecturer on basketball fundamentals and life values learned from the game.  Based on a proven regimen created from his own experience, J.D. Walsh has led basketball workshops worldwide – using the same principles that have been implemented by NBA, university, prep, and youth players worldwide. Through the school’s training methods, children worldwide have become empowered, connected, and are achieving tremendous results.  Utilizing the game as an innovative method to educate children, JDBASKETBALL integrates game changing social education and responsible programming in an elite basketball skills format. 

Over 140 media students, working journalists, editors and academicians gathered at the American Center, New Delhi on May 2, 2008 to celebrate and support freedom of the press. In recognition of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated every year on May 3, the Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy, Larry Schwartz, opened a discussion on “Media and Market Forces: The Challenges and Opportunities for Press Freedom” with a panel of senior media professionals from the U.S. and India. The panelists were (from left to right) Mr. James R. Dickenson, former political reporter and columnist, The Washington Post; Ms. Jyoti Malhotra, Diplomatic Affairs Editor, Mint; Mr. Nick Schifrin, Correspondent, ABC News; and Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao, Chairman, Centre for Media Studies. The discussion about the changes taking place in the media world amidst new ownership patterns was followed by a screening of the award-winning movie “A Mighty Heart”.