HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut has established a new Connecticut-India Trade Commission designed to expand trade, investment, innovation and educational partnerships with India, creating a formal framework to deepen economic ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.
Governor Ned Lamont signed the legislation creating the commission during a ceremony at the State Capitol on July 30, joined by elected officials, diplomats, business executives, higher education leaders and members of Connecticut’s Indian-American community.
Created under Public Act 26-78, the commission will bring together legislators, business leaders, higher education representatives and community members to promote long-term collaboration in commerce, technology, manufacturing, education, infrastructure and the arts.
Governor Lamont said the commission reflects a relationship between India and the United States that extends well beyond commerce. He noted that both nations emerged from colonial rule to become the world’s largest democracies and said Connecticut has benefited from welcoming talented people from around the world. He encouraged members of the Indian-American community to feel at home in the state, adding that Connecticut is stronger because of their contributions.
Lamont also reflected on his February 2025 economic development mission to Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai, where he led a delegation of state officials, business executives and academic leaders to strengthen commercial relationships and attract investment to Connecticut. He said the trip reinforced the entrepreneurial spirit shared by Connecticut and India and expressed confidence that the new commission would strengthen cultural, academic and commercial ties between the two regions.
Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz emphasized the commission’s role in supporting Connecticut’s international economic strategy. She said the creation of another international trade commission sends a message that Connecticut is open to new and innovative partnerships and highlighted the state’s globally connected economy. Citing data from AdvanceCT, she noted that international companies employ more than 115,000 Connecticut residents through more than 800 businesses across the state, adding that stronger commercial relationships with India have the potential to generate additional jobs, investment and economic activity.
State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, the first Indian-American elected to the Connecticut Senate, described the commission as both an economic initiative and recognition of the Indian-American community’s longstanding contributions to the state.
Speaking as both a legislator and the daughter of Indian immigrants, Gadkar-Wilcox said the legislation acknowledges decades of contributions by Indian-Americans in business, healthcare, education, law and civic leadership. She said the commission will create structured opportunities for collaboration in industries including aerospace, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, green energy and higher education.
She also noted that Connecticut’s South Asian community has built a strong institutional foundation through organizations such as GOPIO in Stamford, Milan in Greater Hartford and the Indian Cultural Center in Greenwich. Gadkar-Wilcox said the legislation recognizes not only economic opportunities but also the deep cultural, educational, social and business ties between India and the United States.
According to Gadkar-Wilcox, Connecticut is home to more than 68,000 residents of Indian origin, making Indian-Americans the state’s largest Asian-American ethnic community as well as the state’s second-largest foreign-born population. She also highlighted the growing influence of South Asian leaders across business, government and civic life, pointing to companies including Infosys and Kubtec, the leadership of former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, members of the state’s Asian Legislative Caucus, municipal leaders including Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, and organizations such as the South Asian Bar Association.
India’s Consul General in New York, Ambassador Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, described the commission as a significant milestone in Connecticut’s relationship with India and said its creation was long overdue. He credited Governor Lamont’s trade mission to India with giving the relationship new momentum and identified advanced manufacturing, information technology, cybersecurity, healthcare, clean energy, higher education and innovation as areas with significant potential for collaboration.
Pradhan also placed the initiative within the broader U.S.-India economic relationship, noting that bilateral trade between the two countries totals approximately $240 billion annually, with a goal of reaching $500 billion by 2030. He pledged that the Indian Consulate would work closely with the commission to help advance its objectives.
Representative Stephen Meskers, speaking on behalf of himself and Commerce Committee Co-Chair Senator Joan Hartley, praised the contributions of Connecticut’s Indian-American community to the state’s economy and society. Drawing on his own family’s immigrant background, Meskers said he has witnessed firsthand the impact Indian professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders have made across Connecticut and expressed confidence that the commission would promote stronger cultural and economic ties while laying the foundation for future legislative initiatives.
The event also highlighted the role of Connecticut businesses already engaged with India. Vikram and Preeti Butani, founders of Stratford-based medical technology company Kubtec, shared how their business grew from a startup operating out of a spare bedroom into a global healthcare technology company serving hospitals in 40 countries. Vikram Butani said the company established operations in India three years ago and expressed hope that the new commission would help businesses like Kubtec expand commercial relationships between Connecticut and India.
The commission will include appointments from the legislature, governor’s office, higher education institutions, chambers of commerce and the Indian-American community. Among its responsibilities will be promoting business and academic exchanges, encouraging investment, identifying policy opportunities and recommending future legislative initiatives. The commission is expected to begin submitting annual reports to state leaders in 2028.
Dr. Thomas Abraham, chairman of GOPIO International, who supported the legislation and helped organize the event, said the creation of the commission reflects the growing importance of India to Connecticut’s economic future while recognizing the significant contributions of the state’s Indian-American community to business, education and civic life.
The establishment of the Connecticut-India Trade Commission makes Connecticut one of a growing number of U.S. states creating formal mechanisms to strengthen economic and institutional partnerships with India as trade, investment and technology collaboration continue to expand between the two economies.
