Remove ISRO, DRDO from Blacklist, India Tells US
India has asked the US to remove its two state-run frontline technology establishments ISRO and DRDO from the entities list, said media reports.
Urging American companies to invest in defence sector in the country, visiting Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma assured that the major changes in the liberalisation of FDI policy were under debate, reports said.
“Now that the Indo-US relationship has gained a new momentum with the Strategic Dialogue, it makes no sense to keep vital research organisations like Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the entities list,” Sharma was quoted as saying.
Interacting with top American officials, Sharma said, “It is high time to remove these organisations from the entities list, keeping in view the fact that DRDO, ISRO and other institutions, which are bold and high in research, are very actively involved in partnership or in co-ordination with the US agencies.”
It may be mentioned that after the 1998 Pokhran nuclear test, ISRO and DRDO were put on American technology export control blacklist.
Pointing out that India cannot be grouped with other countries, the minister said that New Delhi’s record in missile and nuclear non-proliferation is exemplary and ‘thus our entities particularly the governmental research organisations including ISRO and DRDO should not be on the entities list’, said reports.
“I must say that they have been very receptive and reassuring,” Sharma was quoted as saying while answering a query referring to his meetings with top US officials in this regard.
About the investment in defence sector, the minister said that 26 per cent FDI in the sector was very high, and Government was very hopeful that along with investments the foreign investors would bring in technology collaborations.
He said that this technology inflow would not be restricted to defence field only but also have multiple industrial application, reports said.
“We are open to foreign investments in defence. India is willing to change. We have friendly investment regime and there is very little negative list,” he was quoted as saying.
(Based on internet reports)
