US trade body slams senator’s ‘chop shop’ remark on Infosys
11 Aug 2010
Expressing outrage at a US Senator calling Indian information technology firm Infosys a "chop shop", the main Indo-US industry body said that Indian companies were helping US create value and keep ahead of the global competition.
"It is totally outrageous in this day in age, when the world is so interconnected by the internet, that draconian measures would be floated by the US Congress that tarbrushes Indian companies as 'chop shops'," US India Business Council (USIBC) president Ron Somers said.
"Our companies are creating value around the clock thanks to tie-ups with India, keeping us ahead of the global competition," Somers said in a statement.
The Washington-based USIBC represents some 350 American companies, including many in Fortune 500 list, like Boeing, WalMart, PepsiCo, General Motors and Lockheed Martin that do business in India.
Somers came down heavily on various moves in the US to restrict the movement of high-tech professionals and outsourcing of work to India. "Cutting our nose off to spite our face by imposing restrictions on movement of high-tech professionals will hobble American companies' ability to compete in the global marketplace," he said.
"Value addition is being provided by Indian companies 12 hours a day, seven days a week for US companies, complimenting the value being generated by the American workforce. When our day winds down and our workforce shuts the lights off, the Indian workforce awakes for their morning to continue adding value," Somers added.
