India hopes US will take appropriate response on its concerns

India today hoped that the US will take "timely and appropriate" response on the hot burning issues like outsourcing ban and visa fee hike.

"We have put it firmly in our discussions. I feel that the US has seriously registered India's view point as well concerns of the Indian IT industry. We do hope there will be timely and appropriate responses," Union commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma told a group of Indian journalists at the end of his day-long paralysis with top US officials, including trade representative Ron Kirk.

Sharma, who is in Washington, to attend the Trade Policy Forum meeting, said he is sure that the Indian concerns on these issues have been seriously registered by the US.

"We discussed in this meeting other issues which are of interest in particular some developments which have been of concern particular the border security check, and the visa fee increase," he said.

"We impressed to them to look at areas of enhancing the services sector particularly the IT and communication sector and take all those steps which help them further consolidate the partnership and not weaken it in any manner," Sharma said.

"At a time when the global economy is still reeling from the aftershocks of the economic crisis and coming out of the recession any inward looking step of protectionist measure would slow down the pace of recovery and deepen the recession.

"It is better to avoid it, particularly since the United States is the world leader, is the largest economy and therefore there are expectations (from it) in that context," he said.

During his meetings, Sharma, said he also raised the issue of totalisation agreement and the need to accelerate the process and conclude it as soon as possible.

"There is need to complete the totalisation agreement. Almost $2 billion per annum social security payment is made by the Indian IT professionals," he said.

Indian IT industry as such or the professionals in the last one and a half decade have multiple contributions globally in the IT enabling services and technologies building bridges across the continents, he noted.

The move on outsourcing and visa fee hike that place restrictions on IT professionals in his view has been regressive measures which have created an avoidable feeling of negativity among the services sector, he added.