US President Donald Trump has assembled a team of 220 top leaders, including six Indian-Americans, from 16 disciplines, such as agriculture, energy, financial services, manufacturing, and technology, among others, to jumpstart the American economy that has plunged into a deep crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.These esteemed individuals include leading company executives, economists, scholars, and industry leaders who together will form various Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, the White House said in a statement on April 14.“These bipartisan groups of American leaders will work together with the White House to chart the path forward toward a future of unparalleled American prosperity. The health and wealth of America is the primary goal, and these groups will produce a more independent, self-sufficient, and resilient nation,” the statement added.
Mr Trump has urged them to deliberate on their respective areas of expertise and advise him the best way forward to rejuvenate the economy, covering sectors such as agriculture, banking, defense, energy, financial services, food & beverage, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, retail, technology, telecommunication, transportation, as well as sports. He has also formed thought leader groups with members such as former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice to advise him on various other aspects of the US economy.
Six Indian Americans have also been invited to assist the president, which included Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, IBM’s Arvind Krishna, Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, alcohol Beverages Company Pernod Ricard’s Ann Mukherjee, and Mastercard’s Ajay Banga.“They’re the names that are, I think, the best and the smartest, the brightest. And they’re going to give us some ideas,” Mr Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.
The American economy plunged into a deep crisis as businesses were shut, and millions of people lost their jobs due to the pandemic, which already killed some 30,000 people and tens and thousands of others infected. It could be the worst downturn since the 2008 financial crisis. According to the latest official figures, a record number of more than 16 million people have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Mr Trump had said reopening the economy is the “biggest decision” he would ever make. “I’m going to have to make a decision, and I only hope to God that it is the right decision, but I would say without question it is the biggest decision I have ever had to make,” he said last week.According to Johns Hopkins University, over 6,05,000 Americans were tested positive for the virus as on April 14. Globally, nearly two million people were infected, and 126,722 people have died, it said.
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