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USTDA GRANT PROMOTES U.S.-INDIA STANDARDS COOPERATION
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Dr. Sarita Nagpal (seated left) and John Davison (seated right) signed the USTDA grant agreement that will facilitate India’s implementation of a transparent and more streamlined SCATR system. D. Subrahmanyam (standing left) from CII and USTDA Country Representative Bala Kalyanaraman (standing right) witnessed the grant signing.
NEW DELHI, INDIA (September 19, 2008) – Promoting trade through a transparent and more streamlined standards, conformity assessment, and technical regulations (SCATR) system in India is the subject of a USTDA grant awarded today to the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). The technical cooperation program will facilitate India's development of a SCATR system based on market-driven, private sector-led approaches to global standardization.
The $535,300 grant was conferred during a signing ceremony held at CII's headquarters. Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi John Davison and CII Deputy Director General Dr. Sarita Nagpal signed the grant agreement on behalf of the U.S. Government and CII, respectively.
The USTDA grant will fund a technical expertise program that will include the launching of a U.S.-India standards portal, five sector-specific technical workshops, and technical collaboration in topics that address trade-related issues. The grant will strengthen the U.S.-Indian economic relationship by establishing an ongoing, self-sustaining bilateral cooperation forum that represents the broad interests of U.S. and Indian industry.
CII has selected the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. as the contractor to perform the USTDA-funded technical assistance. ANSI brings a long history to this project as it has administered and coordinated the U.S. private sector voluntary standardization system for more than 90 years. In addition to the USTDA grant, ANSI will contribute additional resources toward the program's completion.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, early investment analysis, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair, open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.
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