Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri sees green hydrogen as a path to the future. Puri was speaking at a panel discussion at the US India Business Council meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 17.

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"I am wedded to the movement away from fossil fuels, and see green hydrogen as a path to the future. We need to have clean and cheap solar energy," Puri said.

#CNBCTV18Exclusive | 'India buys $20 bn worth of energy from USA', says @HardeepSPuri. He also elaborates on the India-US bio fuel alliance@ShereenBhan pic.twitter.com/1BRog6Fqgo

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) October 17, 2023

The petroleum minister also pointed out that India buys $20 billion worth of energy from the United States and the two countries have put forth green hydrogen as a priority in the energy partnership. Puri also stressed that the potential for bilateral engagement between India and the US will increase even if geopolitical conflict increases.

"I would like to be the Devil's Advocate and say, if not India then who?" Puri added.

Edward Knight, Executive Vice Chairman – Nasdaq, highlighted the "diaspora dividend" in the bilateral relationship.

"USIBC is very focused on building trust in the India-US relationship. We have a diaspora dividend in the relationship which came to India's aid during the COVID-19. We feel a DNA which doesn't exist in other relationships."

Knight sees signs of collaboration in financial markets, clouds and artificial intelligence for both countries.

#CNBCTV18Exclusive | We feel a DNA which does not exist in other relationships, says @USIBC Chairman Ed Knight as he describes the 'diaspora dividend' in the India-US partnership. He tells @ShereenBhan that he sees signs of collaboration in financial markets, cloud & AI space. pic.twitter.com/9wkCyi6nay

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) October 17, 2023

"India's economy is booming. It is the envy of the entire world," said USIBC President and former Ambassador Atul Keshap. He added that the Indian government has put in a sustained effort and focus on ease of doing business, manufacturing, and bringing in global companies.

Keshap also highlighted that "India and US have something magical and special going". He also added that the two countries need to focus on getting the ecosystem right for startups and they have an obligation to set standards on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing for the world.

#CNBCTV18Exclusive | 'India's economy is booming. It is the envy of the entire world', says @USIBC President @USAmbKeshap. He tells @ShereenBhan that the Indian Govt has put in a sustained effort & focus on ease of doing business, manufacturing & brining in global cos. pic.twitter.com/MtKD6eFyBW

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) October 17, 2023

"Trust is fundamental to the India-US relationship and the personal chemistry of PM Modi and President Biden is very important," Puri added.

On the Israel-Hamas war, Puri said, "PM Modi was upfront and came clear on where we stood with Israel."

(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)

First Published:Oct 17, 2023 8:10 PM IST