Samalkot gives Schenectady 1,600 jobs

Updated on: 23 January,2011 07:01 AM IST |
Team SMD |

You better know where Samalkot in India is, Obama tells GE employees at Schenectady in New York

You better know where Samalkot in India is, Obama tells GE employees at Schenectady in New York

US president Barack Obama's India visit last November seems to have borne fruit. On January 22, Obama who visited the General Electric (GE) factoryu00a0 in Schenectady, New York, credited India for creating thousands of jobs in the US. US-based GE factory's India unit will manufacture advance turbines for Reliance Power's plant in Samalkot, Andhra Pradesh, that is expected to create 1,600 jobs.

Reliance Power Chairman Anil Ambani on a visit to the Samalkot power
plant in Andhra Pradesh

"Most of you hadn't heard of Samalkot but now you need to know about it, because you're going to be selling to Samalkot, India. And that new business halfway around the world is going to help support more than 1,200 manufacturing jobs and more than 400 engineering jobs right here in this communityu00a0-- because of that sale," Obama told the gathering.

The president stressed that "when a company sells products overseas, it leads to hiring on our shores. The deal in Samalkot means jobs in Schenectady. That's how we accelerate growth. That's how we create opportunities for our people."

Obama said promoting exports is important, and that his government has set a goal of doubling American exports within five years.