An exclusive series of snap polls conducted by CVoter to gauge public opinion related to the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US revealed that about seven out of every 10 Indians are of the opinion that American technology transfer to India will benefit the country.
One of the questions asked in the survey conducted with a sample size of 4,409 on June 22 was: Amid PM Modi’s America visit, there are talks about technology transfer from the US for many defence equipment, including jet engines for fighter planes. How much do yo think it will benefit India?
More than 55 per cent of the respondents are of the opinion that American technology transfer will benefit India a lot. Another close to 15 per cent are of the opinion that it will be of some help, while a minority 14 per cent feel that the move will not help India at all.
Pending approval from the US Congress, GE has inked an agreement with Indian public sector company HAL to design and manufacture engines for the next generation of fighter aircraft in India.
Besides this, the sale of state-of-the-art drones will also involve some level of technology transfer.
Traditionally, the United States is extremely cautious when it comes to transferring military technology even to formal allies. For instance, many members of NATO do not have access to American military technology.
So far, there has been no instance of America transferring military technology to India even after the two countries signed a civilian nuclear deal in 2005.
One of the key items on the agenda during the state visit of PM Modi to the US was cooperation and technology transfer in the military arena. And by all accounts, the visit has been an unqualified success when it comes to achieving this goal.
As an add on, a collaboration between US-based Micron and Gujarat will set up a $ 2.7 billion plant to manufacture semi-conductors.
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