Long way to go for India to benchmark itself with Singapore, Hong Kong: USISPF chief

Mukesh Aghi, the president of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), said the India-US relationship is strong and is growing positively in every aspect

India needs to remove impediments to the ease of doing business, the head of a top Indian-American business advocacy group has said, asserting that the country has made some progress but has a long way to go to match Singapore or Hong Kong.

Mukesh Aghi, the president of the US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), said the India-US relationship is strong and is growing positively in every aspect.

“When you look at geo-politically, the Quad seems to move forward. You look at I2U2 moving forward,” he told PTI.

Noting that a booming Indian economy is helping the US, he said the Boeing order by Air India created over a million high-paying jobs in America.

“We're expecting Indigo also to place an order. India is pulling the economic engine of growth for the United States,” Mr. Aghi said.

In one of the largest aircraft orders by an airline, Tata Group-owned Air India last month announced it will buy 470 narrow-body and wide-body planes from Airbus and Boeing, with the total deal value estimated to be worth $80 billion (over ₹6.40 lakh crore).

Air India will buy 250 aircraft, including 40 wide-body A350 planes, from European aviation major Airbus, and 220 planes from US aircraft maker Boeing under separate deals.