By Manish Chand,IANS,
New York : India will open two more consulates in the US in Seattle and Atlanta, which are emerging economic hubs and are home to over 60,000 people of Indian origin.
Announcing the decision here, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said Washington had agreed to the Indian proposal to open the two new consulates based on the twin criteria of the presence of Indian diaspora and commercial interests.
Menon, however, did not say when the consulates would open.
Seattle is an important centre of trade with India on the west coast and Atlanta occupies the same position on the east coast, he said. Over 30,000 Indian Americans live in each of these cities.
Seattle, home to big-ticket corporations like Boeing, Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon.com, is considered the most educated American city, with more than 50 percent of residents over 25 years of age having at least a bachelor’s degree.
Atlanta also boasts of hosting iconic brands like Coca Cola and CNN, and is among the country’s fastest growing areas.
Besides the embassy in Washington, India has consulates in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston.
Besides its embassy in New Delhi, the US has consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. Hyderabad is next on the list and Washington is also considering consular services in Bangalore and Ahmedabad.