India, US to increase collaboration in higher education

India and United States have signed four agreements, including cooperation in higher education, and visiting US secretary of state John Kerry tried to assuage India's concerns over US talks with Taliban while trying to push through a commercial deal on the basis of the India-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

With the US administration seeking to back the Taliban afresh after they withdraw forces from Afghanistan, there seems to be not much that is strategic to both the US and India and the two settled for affirming timely and full implementation of civil nuclear deal.

Kerry and human resource development minister M Pallam Raju today signed an agreement for increasing collaboration between the two countries in the field of higher education.
 
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said there was immense scope for collaboration between the two countries in the field of higher education, adding that investment on knowledge is most productive.
 
The US had, on Monday, tried to defend its phone and internet survellance programme, saying it was for the sake of security. On the immigration policy, however, the US and India are yet to find meeting ground.

Kerry said both the countries have reaffirmed commitment to full and timely implementation of the civil nuclear deal.

India and the US are seeking a fresh start to their bilateral relationship, which lost focus in the last four years following the change in presidency.

Both sides are getting ready for an exchange of high-level visits, beginning with that of US vice-president Joe Biden to India next month.

''The vice-president enjoys the confidence of the president (Barack Obama). Biden is a different kind of vice-president who has more executive powers than others. He can discuss matters of substance,'' Kerry said.

The US, meanwhile, has begun a recalibration of its global strategy by seeking a rebalance power in Asia, which at present is dominated by China.

A closer relationship with India, along with its historical links with Japan, will give the US the right pivot on which to effect its global strategy.

Kerry, however, said India and the US ''share a very specific and similar vision for peace, democracy and stability in Asia and in the Indian and Pacific ocean'' as well as Afghanistan.

The two countries are reported to be working on a visit to the US by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September by which time the two sides hope to conclude a commercial deal between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Westinghouse Electric Co LLC for a 1,000 MW atomic power plant in Bhavnagar district in Gujarat.

And, at the moment, it is the civil nuclear cooperation deal that is strategic to US ties with India.