John Kerry praises Tata for creating jobs in US

Washington, July 30: US secretary of state John Kerry has praised Indian automobile giant 'Tata' for creating thousands of jobs in the United States.

"Take a look at the jobs that Tata is creating for Americans by expanding auto design and sales in the United States, adding to its 24,000 employees already in this country," Kerry said on Monday in a major foreign policy speech on India at the Center for American Progress, a US thinktank.

"Already, Indian investment creates close to 100,000 jobs right here at home," Kerry said referring to the jobs being created in the US by Indian companies.

In his speech the secretary of state also praised the American motor company Ford for creating employment opportunities in India.

As the largest India-headquartered multinational in North America, Tata has 12 companies covering diverse operations.

In the United States these include soda ash mines in Wyoming, coffee manufacturing in Maryland, steel manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Pennsylvania, tea manufacturing and processing in Florida, Georgia, and New Jersey, The Pierre hotel in New York, the Taj Boston hotel and the Taj Campton Place hotel in San Francisco, animation labs in California and IT development centres in California, Michigan, and Ohio.

Having a presence in North America for over 60 years, some of its popular and recognised brands in the US including Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, Tetley, Good Earth, and Eight O'Clock Coffee.

In his remarks, Kerry said he believes that the United States and India should continue to reach for the ambitious target that Vice-President Joe Biden laid out last summer in India, to push from $100 billion to $500 billion a year in trade.

"And whatever impediments we may face along the way, we need to always be mindful of the opportunities and the bigger picture around this," he said.

"It is completely in our mutual interest to address those obstacles that kind of raise their head here and there as you go along the way and to remember that a lot bigger opportunities will come from more robust ties, so we need to keep our eye on the prize out there and not get dragged down by one small or lesser particular aspect of a restraint," he added.

"The bigger picture has to guide us and the end game has to guide us," Kerry said.

PTI