By IANS,
Bangalore : Indian software industry body Nasscom Wednesday said it looked forward to working with the US president-elect Barack Obama and his administration on mutually beneficial policies to boost the economies of the two nations.
Hailing Obama’s historic victory, Nasscom said with the global economy stressed, it was more important than ever that India and the US find ways to partner together to spur innovation, foster economic growth, and develop an educated and skilled workforce to create jobs for modern global market place.
“Specifically, we support expanding the H1B visa programme so that skilled workers can help companies lead the way on innovation and contribute additional jobs and economic growth in the US,” Nasscom said in a statement here.
With the recent nuclear deal bringing the two nations closer than ever before, the IT representative body hoped the economic and diplomatic goals outlined by Obama during the campaign would be achieved during his tenure as the US president.
Meanwhile, Texas Instruments (TI) principal fellow Gene Frantz, said the IT industry would support the new president and looked forward to what Obama would do to the economy and the industry in specific.
“I voted two weeks ago. As a citizen I think everything will get back to normal in the next three-four days and all will be well. It does not matter whom we have voted. We will get to know what this victory means to our economy and the tech industry,” Frantz told IANS on the sidelines of the 11th TI developers’ conference here.
Admitting the US economy was in downswing resulting in a slowdown in the tech sector, Frantz said the political or economic situation would not stop him or his company from doing what it had been all along to create new businesses and keep growing.
“The downturn is part of economic cycles. This is one of the cycles. It will only spur us to do more for an early turn around. The victory of Obama does matter to us as individuals but not for corporations and enterprises. We go back to work and support our new president,” Frantz, who is in India’s tech hub to participate in the TI conference, said.
“We don’t see him as black or white but as the next president of the US. His colour does not matter. Race is not the issue. Obama is young and outspoken. We will be proud of him as much as we would have been if Republican candidate John McCain would have won,” Frantz added.