India To Open Consulates In Los Angeles, Boston
Photo: Reuters/Mike Segar
India-West News Desk
LONG ISLAND, NY (ANI) – Indian Americans are thrilled with the announcement that India will open two new consulates in the United States, one in Boston and another in Los Angeles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared this news on September 22 while addressing a packed crowd at Nassau Coliseum in New York.
The new consulates are intended to improve services for the growing Indian diaspora and enhance diplomatic ties between the two nations.
Boston, often regarded as the “education and pharma capital” of the U.S., will benefit from the new consulate as it serves as a hub for academic and biotech collaborations. With world-renowned institutions such as Harvard and MIT, Boston is a center for innovation and research, making it a vital link for fostering academic, scientific, and economic exchanges between India and the U.S.
Los Angeles, home to Hollywood and set to host the 2028 Summer Olympics, will also gain a consulate, further solidifying India’s presence on the West Coast. The city’s significance in global trade, particularly with its ports handling 40 percent of all overseas goods entering the U.S., and its position as the “Capital of the Pacific Rim” make it an ideal location for diplomatic outreach. The consulate will also support the influx of Indian visitors for the 2028 Olympics, which will now include cricket, a sport with deep cultural ties to India.
Gunjan Bagla, CEO of Amritt Inc., a U.S.-India consulting firm based in Los Angeles, shared insights into the two-year campaign that led to this achievement. He credited local citizens, organizations, and even Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for their support, with over 3,600 people signing a petition advocating for a consulate. “We received enthusiastic backing from groups like the American Jewish Committee and the World Trade Center of Los Angeles,” Bagla noted, adding that Mayor Bass submitted a formal letter to the Indian Embassy outlining why Los Angeles was the ideal choice.
Further strengthening this connection is the fact that Eric Garcetti, the current U.S. Ambassador to India, is the former mayor of Los Angeles. His role in advancing U.S.-India relations adds an additional layer of significance to the new consulate’s opening in the city.
“All but one of the G20 countries have consulates here in Los Angeles. American business executives with an interest in India will feel more engaged with a local consul general representing India. While we have been blessed with Consul General Dr Srikar Reddy visiting us from San Francisco dozens of times in the last year, there are numerous local events where the absence of India is clearly felt. NRIs and Indian Americans will benefit in the case of emergency travel needs to India by not having to fly to San Francisco,” Bagla said.
The new consulates will provide essential services not only to the Indian diaspora in Greater Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Phoenix but also to the many Indian students studying at over 40 universities in the region, Bagla said.
With India emerging as one of the U.S.’s top trading partners and Los Angeles at the heart of America’s global trade network, the consulate’s presence will be invaluable for facilitating business, cultural, and educational exchanges between the two countries.
