'9 southern US states account for 27% bilateral trade'

Nine American states, including Florida and Louisiana, served by Indian Consulate in Houston account for more than 27 per cent of US-India bilateral trade and participation of Indian companies is still on the rise, outgoing Consul General Sanjiv Arora has said.

"The nine states we service account for more than 27 per cent of US-India's bilateral trade. What is heartening is the increasing participation of Indian companies here," he said.

"We have Mahindras and Tata Consultancy Services which recently created 700 jobs in San Antonio.

"Wellspun in Arkansas operates five manufacturing plants and Gas Authority of India Ltd has established a wholly owned subsidiary based in Houston," said Arora, who is leaving Houston in August after his four-year

tenure to become India's Ambassador to Qatar.

Besides Florida and Louisiana, the Houston Consulate provides service to Indian community and businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas states.

Arora's replacement Parvathaneni Harish will arrive towards the end of July, according to sources.

"In 2011, we provided 133,376 Consular services. In terms of such services, the Indian Consulate in Houston ranks among the top 10 Indian missions in the world," he said.