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Pan-IIT alumni happy and relieved with U.S.-India trade deal: Chairman
Pan IIT Alumni India says the agreement will boost India’s high-tech manufacturing, deepen diaspora ties, and accelerate AI-led innovation.
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Ishani Duttagupta - Tue, 03, Feb 2026
- 11:30 EST
- 22
PaniitAlumni / PaniitAlumni
Pan IIT Alumni India, an alumni organization of all 23 Indian Institutes of Technology, has hailed the India-US trade resolution as a strategic leap for technology and talent.
Prabhat Kumar, chairman of Pan IIT Alumni India, described the deal as a big step that removes tariff barriers, restores bilateral trade relations, and benefits India’s tech manufacturing and services sectors while strengthening ties with the Indian diaspora and IIT alumni in the United States.
Also Read: U.S. tariffs on Indian goods among lowest after trade deal
“This decisive agreement is a powerful reaffirmation of our democratic partnership and will provide an immediate boost to bilateral trade and investment,” he said.
This development is particularly significant for India’s high-tech sector, Kumar said. “By improving market access and enhancing competitiveness for Indian engineering goods, it strengthens the ‘Make in India’ initiative. It will also help attract cutting-edge investment and establish India as a global innovation hub for AI. A lot of deep tech companies are coming to India from the US and they will benefit.”
Kumar has recently had discussions with many IITians during a visit to the US. “They have all been eagerly awaiting a solution and the news yesterday that the two countries have been able to reconcile the trade issues has come as a big relief. Many of them, though they live in the U.S. and are U.S. citizens, still have their umbilical cord attached to India,” he said.
“The trade headwinds were a cause of great concern for them because the two countries have always enjoyed a very good relationship. But now with this step in the right direction, the IIT alumni community is very happy and relieved.”
Kumar added that with IITians working in many tech companies across the US, including some in very senior roles, including CEOs, and many launching their own start-ups; some workplaces in America felt like an extended IIT campus.
“We hope that the details of the trade agreement will be known to us in the next few days. From the perspective of the Indian government and all industries, the U.S. is a dominant and established market. Even as we explore other markets through bilaterals and trade agreements, the U.S. remains a strong strategic partner,” he said.
Kumar expects that the US-India agreement, in conjunction with recent proposals in the Indian Budget, such as the tax incentive for global data centers, will facilitate increased technological collaboration between the two nations.
He also praised the reduction of the tax collected at source (TCS) on foreign education remittances, announced in the Indian Budget. “This step eases the big financial burden for parents of students who are going abroad to seek global expertise. We appreciate how this external partnership dovetails with progressive domestic policies aimed at empowering our students and professionals. Together, these measures—facilitating trade, attracting technology, and nurturing human capital—create a virtuous cycle that will immensely benefit the IIT community and the nation.”
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