US Ambassador calls on Kerala Governor, CM

Thiruvananthapuram: US Ambassador toIndia Kenneth Ian Juster Thursday called on KeralaGovernor P Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayanhere and discussed possibilities of cooperation in various areas. During the meeting with Vijayan at his office, Justersaid the US was interested in investing more in the southern state in various fields, including information technology, and extend more cooperation in the tourism sector, an official statement said here.

The US envoy further said the suggestions of the Chief Minister regarding the possible cooperation in the business, health and technical sectors were worth considering. He showered praises on Kerala for the steps it had taken to contain the Nipah virus, which had claimed 17 lives in the state last year, and the deadly floods which had hit the state last August, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving a trail of destruction, it said.

Vijayan sought technical cooperation of the US in setting up the the River Basin Management Authority, proposed by the state to contain floods, and in developing a better system to predict natural disasters. The state also was keen to get technical support in the ongoing post-flood rebuilding initiatives, the Chief Minister said adding that Kerala was interested in cooperation with the US in high-level research. The Ambassador was accompanied by US Consul General in Chennai Robert Burgess, the statement added. Earlier, Juster called on P Sathasivam at the Raj Bhavan here.

During the interaction which lasted 20 minutes, the Governor sought the possibility of being more liberal in issuing H1B visas to engineers and IT professionals from Kerala. Strengthening cooperation in tourism and creating more avenues for higher education in the US for students from the state also figured in the discussion. Juster expressed keen interest in Kerala inviting more investors from the United States, a Raj Bhavan release added.