At a recent event in San Francisco, USA, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal called upon the Indian Diaspora to draw the world’s attention to the tremendous business opportunities offered by the Indian market.

Goyal is on a six-day visit to San Francisco and Los Angeles for the purpose of attending the India-US Strategic Partnership Forum conference and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) ministerial meeting.

While the Indian Diaspora in the US has been very professional and innovative in their approach, they have simultaneously maintained a strong connection with Indian culture and value system, thus keeping the soul of India alive, said the minister at the Luncheon Engagement at San Francisco.

He also highlighted that India has a vibrant startup ecosystem today, stating that the ‘Startup India’ initiative, launched by PM Narendra Modi in 2016, was a recognition of the growing importance of innovation and young talent experimenting with new ideas to come up with novel solutions.

Goyal also underlined the need for international engagement for expansion and stated that the Indian government is playing the role of facilitator between Indian startups and investors based in the US. “There can be no better place than Silicon Valley to go global,” he said, adding, “No country in the world has become developed without significantly expanding engagement with the rest of the world. We need to engage with the world otherwise we will miss the bus.”

The minister also stated that on this trip, he was taking note of ideas from investors in the US to further speed up capital deployment and new innovation in India.

According to Goyal, the ‘Amrit Kaal’ till 2047, when India celebrates 100 years of its independence, will be a defining period of the country’s journey towards becoming a developed nation. “The Indian Diaspora has a very important role to play in this journey because it recognises talent, new ideas and innovation and can guide, support and finance them. We look forward to continuous effort and engagement to bridge the gap between India and the United States in terms of businesses and people-to-people contact,” he said.