Two senior legislators from the States of Mississippi and Rhode Island in the U.S. have stressed the need to enhance the scope of collaborations with Kerala and India, as a whole, in areas of common interest.
Calling Kerala ‘unique’ in various respects, Representatives Greg Snowden of Mississippi and Brian Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, both Pro-tem Speakers of the respective States, also held that the U.S. had much to imbibe from the former for its rich diversity, gender equality and comparatively high standard of living.
The legislators are currently leading a delegation of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), an umbrella organisation of members and staff of state legislatures of the U.S., to the country and are in their last-leg of the tour, having visited Mumbai and New Delhi prior to their sojourn in Kerala.
According to Mr. Snowden, both the U.S. and India shared a special bond with one another as the countries have gone to great extents to uphold democratic values.
“There is a familiar air when we converse with Indians and vice-versa. The nations have fought for noble causes and even shared common values and history to a certain extent,” he said.
During their visit to India, they held meetings with people’s representatives, students, industry leaders and the media.
While in Thiruvananthapuram, they held discussions with Shashi Tharoor, MP, during which they discussed the possible scope for engagements between the respective States. Mr. Kennedy said a proposal to establish a school of Oceanography either in Mumbai or Thiruvananthapuram in partnership with the University of Rhode Island has been mooted.
Mr. Snowden pointed out that a trade delegation led by the Governor of Mississippi Phil Bryant is expected to visit India the next month to boost economic ties. The legislators are slated to hold talks with Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan and Deputy Speaker V. Sasi, besides visiting the Technopark on Tuesday.
Eric Lund, Cultural Affairs Officer of the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, who accompanied the legislators, sought to allay concerns regarding the immigration policy under the Donald Trump dispensation. “There has been a lot of speculation that has created an impression that there has been drastic changes. There is no change in the policy of the U.S. government and Indian students who wish to pursue various courses in the country will face no difficulty in doing so.
The same applies to those who are applying to work in the U.S. The policy that has existed in the past remains,” he said.
