Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know India’s Air Chief Marshal AP Singh Visits US To Strengthen Defense Partnership T ndian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh arrived in the United States to further strengthen the India-US defence partnership. Singh was received by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra. In a post on X, Kwatra said, “Pleasure to host and wel- come CAS, Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh as he begins his visit to the United States to further strengthen the India-US defence partnership and sustain the strong & growing ties between the two Air Forces.” The visit comes after Admiral Samuel J Paparo, com- mander of US Indo-Pacific Command, visited India from February 14-19, to collaborate on the India-US shared security interests and to strengthen the nations’ close military ties, an official statement from the US Indo- Pacific Command noted. As per the statement, the visit to New Delhi, Chandi- mandir and Bengaluru underscored India’s vital role in advancing regional security and strengthening military interoperability across land, sea, air, space and cyber- space domains. While in New Delhi, Admiral Paparo met with senior Indian defence officials, including General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, and Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff. These discussions centred on areas of mutual inter- est, including India’s contributions to safeguarding a free and open Indo-Pacific region. As part of the visit, the Daniel K Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) and its director, Suzanne P Vares-Lum, hosted an alumni event in New Delhi, bringing together Indian graduates of APCSS programs. The event provided a platform for alumni to exchange ideas, strengthen professional networks, and explore collaborative solutions to regional security chal- lenges. In Chandimandir, Admiral Paparo visited India’sWest- ern Command alongside US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor to discuss operational security dynamics along India’s western and northern fronts, the statement added. Admiral Paparo concluded the trip in Bengaluru with visits to the Aeronautical Development Agency and Na- tional Flight Test Center, highlighting expanding defence industrial collaboration and aerospace innovation. -ANI PHOTO:X.COM @INDIAN EMBASSY Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, left, with Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh in Washington, D.C. 12 US˨INDIA April 10, 2026 T he United States has an- nounced sweeping new trade measures targeting patented pharmaceutical imports and metals, as President Donald Trump signed two signifi- cant executive actions. Under the new framework on Thursday, a 100% tariff will apply to patented drug imports from countries, including India, that have neither signed a reshoring agreement with the US Commerce Department nor a Most Favoured Nation (MFN) pricing deal with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). A seniorWhite House official said the measure was designed to reduce America’s dependence on foreign nations for essential medicines. The official further told ANI, “100% tariff is on patented products. Any patented drug im- ports from India made by compa- nies that do not get approved for a reshoring plan will be subject to a 100% tariff.” Generic medicines are currently exempt, though officials cautioned this could change if the generics industry does not move production back to the United States swiftly enough. “Generics, which are the major- ity of Indian pharma exports, are exempt from tariffs, but the Com- merce Department will evaluate the state of generics reshoring and re-evaluate generics tariffs accord- ingly,” the official further told ANI. The tariff comes into effect on July 31 for larger companies and September 29 for smaller ones. Five country groupings have been offered preferential rates. The European Union, Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland will each face a 15% tariff. The United King- dom, whose major pharmaceutical companies, including GSK, have already signed reshoring and MFN agreements, will face a lower rate of 10%, with the expectation that this could eventually reach zero. The administration also an- nounced changes to how existing tariffs on steel, aluminium, and copper are calculated, a revision that will have direct implications for Indian metal exporters. For products that contain these metals, the rules have been simplified. Goods where the metal content accounts for less than 15% of the product’s weight will attract no separate metals tariff, facing only the standard country-level duty. Where metal content exceeds 15% by weight, a flat 25% tariff will apply to the full product value, irrespective of the precise metal composition. - ANI Trump Imposes 100% Tariff On Patented Drug Imports; Revises Metal Duties American India Public Affairs Committee Founder Meets Maharashtra CM By Reena Bhardwaj PHOTO:PROVIDED Jagdish Sewhani, president the American India Public Affairs Committee based in tri-state area, met Chief Minister of of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis recently. During the discussions CM Fadnavis appealed to Indians abroad to invest in Maharashtra. Sewhani Invited him to visit New York which he agreed to do and promised to visit at the earliest possible time.