DIPP panel to identify areas for technology transfer from US

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has set up a committee with representatives from various ministries such as food processing, energy and environment as well as industry bodies to identify areas where the US could be persuaded to share technology with India under the bilateral Trade Policy Forum (TPF) platform.

The committee, which had its first meeting recently, will come up with a list of potential areas where there could be mutual benefit through transfer of technology, a government official told BusinessLine .

“Once we have short-listed the areas where we would be interested in getting technology from the US and also finalised possible ways to go about it, we will discuss it with US officials in the working group on manufacturing set up under the TPF,” the official said.

It is not easy to get the US agree to technology transfer, but New Delhi has managed to include it in the agenda of the TPF and needs to do its homework to keep up the pressure, the official added.

There is a lot of scope for technology transfer in the food processing sector, especially in cold storage.

“The Food Processing Ministry will give a detailed plan on how the two countries could cooperate through the transfer of technology in the sector, which could involve possible joint ventures,” the official said.

Similarly, in the environment sector, India could gain from sharing of expertise and technology in the area of renewable energy. The two countries have already signed an MoU earlier this year to enhance cooperation in energy security, clean energy, and climate change.

“Intentions for cooperation and contribution to a cleaner world need to be translated into actual partnership and technology transfer which we would pursue through the TPF,” the official added.

Industry bodies CII and FICCI are also part of the committee and will submit their recommendations. “As technology transfer through private sector cooperation is an essential part of our vision, it is important to get inputs from the industry,” the official said.

The TPF, set up to strengthen US-India engagement on bilateral trade, held its tenth Ministerial meeting in New Delhi in October.

According to a US government communique, India and the US agreed that creating a transparent, predictable and open business environment that reduces administrative burden and protects innovation is essential for attracting investment, promoting manufacturing activity, and providing the confidence necessary for businesses to bring new technologies across borders.

The two sides also emphasised their commitment to facilitate efforts to exchange best practices among industry and government.

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