Washington: The Bush administration has identified Indian companies dealing in aerospace, semiconductor manufacturing for exemption from American export controls in view of their non-proliferation records.

According to Christopher Padilla, assistant secretary of commerce, Washington has identified these companies making them eligible for the US Trusted Customer Programme, which streamlines licensing for companies with good records of compliance with non-proliferation treaties.

Without identifying any of them Padilla said, "these are firms operating on a number of sectors in India including semiconductors manufacturing, aerospace, and the chemical industry."

Since the trusted customer programme was put in place in November 2002 , India has had far greater access to us technology as Washington has changed export controls on a number of dual use items, he observed.

The two-day US-India high technology cooperation group (HTCG), being co-chaired by Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran, commences in Washington later today.

The two countries will also discuss how to improve upon the Next Steps in the Strategic Partnership in how India is treated in export control regulations.

At the HTCG meeting, the Americans would encourage India to harmonise its export control system.

"We continue to encourage India to harmonise its export control system with the four major multilateral control regimes. Part of our civil nuclear cooperation agreement calls on India to undertake certain steps with regard to the nuclear suppliers group and the missile control technology regime. We will discuss those issues," Padilla said.