A diplomat from India visited Laramie this week to work on strengthening ties between his government and Wyoming.
Consul General Prakash Gupta met with Gov. Mark Gordon, leadership from the University of Wyoming and members of the Laramie city council.
Items on the agenda consisted of: a potential clean energy symposium to be held next year, increasing agricultural exports from India to Wyoming like Araku coffee, and a new focus on student exchanges from UW to colleges in India, and vice versa.
“I see great potential in Indian companies working together with Wyoming companies, sharing experience, sharing expertise, technical know-how and scaling it up in other southern settings,” said Gupta.
India’s government is interested in investing in Wyoming businesses, according to Gupta – especially in renewable energy and agriculture. But he said that private businesses themselves need to take the initiative.
“A long journey begins with one step,” he said. “So this is the first step we are taking as part of the first Indian consulate here in Seattle, to engage with Wyoming leadership and see: How can we best bring the fruits of our bilateral cooperation to the benefit of the common people?”
Gupta is the head of the newly-formed Indian consulate in Seattle, one of the largest, which encompasses eight other U.S. states.
The consulate itself focuses on tech and trade, and provides visa services to Indian nationals living abroad in the U.S.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
