India Wants ISRO Removed from U.S. Export Blacklist

India tells US to remove ISRO and DRDO from blacklist
Press Trust of India

India has asked US to remove its two state-run frontline technology establishments ISRO and DRDO from the entities list, in apparent anticipation of Washington and New Delhi opening cooperation in hi-tech systems.

India has also asked American companies to invest in defence sector in the country with the visiting Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma assuring that the major changes in the liberalisation of FDI policy were under debate.

“Now that the Indo-US relationship has gained a new momentum with the Strategic Dialogue, it makes no sense to keep vital research organisations like Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the entities list”, Sharma said.

In his high level interaction with top US officials, the minister said, “It is high time to remove these organisations from the entities list, keeping in view the fact that DRDO, ISRO and other institutions, which are bold and high in research, are very actively involved in partnership or in co-ordination with the US agencies”.

ISRO and DRDO were put on American technology export control blacklist after the 1998 Pokhran nuclear blast.

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