Indians most accommodative: US Consul General

Hyderabad, Nov 7 (UNI) Praising India's composite culture, US Consul General Cornelis M Keur today acknowledged the contributions of people of Indian origin for the advancement of the USA.

Addressing a meeting organised by the Central University of Hyderabad here, he said, ''people of India adopt very well. In a relatively short period, they become leaders in every field. They work in the US Government in various capacities.'' South India accounted for a maximum one lakh 'knowledge visas' issued by the US, he said, adding Andhra Pradesh accounted for 40 per cent of such visas.

Hence the US decided to start its consulate here, which houses a number of finest institutions of higher learning, including this University and in the forefront various spheres including Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, he added.

He said initially it would handle 100 visa applications a day and gradually it would be scaled up to 500.

The consulate is the fourth in the country after Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

US President George W Bush, during his visit to Hyderabad in March 2006, had announced setting up of the consulate, a long-pending demand of visa seekers from the state, who had to travel all the way to Chennai for the purpose.

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