U.S. - India SCCP Receives Endorsement from Rep. Jim McDermott

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S.-India Standards and
Conformance Cooperation Program (SCCP) was recently endorsed by Rep. Jim
McDermott (D-WA) of the U.S. House of Representatives. In a letter dated
November 3, 2009, McDermott detailed the work of the SCCP and expressed
support of the Program's initiatives.

Launched in March 2009, SCCP aims to improve market access and increase trade
between the United States and India by boosting cooperation on standards and
conformance issues.

"The Indo-U.S. trade relationship has increased substantially in recent years,
and has helped to create new jobs here in the U.S.," said Mr. McDermott. "With
targeted attention to key market-access issues, we can help assure that this
trend continues. I am pleased to support the U.S. -India SCCP in its efforts
in this area, and I encourage companies in both India and the U.S. to get
engaged in this important initiative."

SCCP is carried out by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) with
funding from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and in coordination
with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Indian Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

The program uses a highly interactive workshop format, where small groups of
experts from targeted industry sectors participate in technical discussions
about regulations, standards, and conformity assessment activities that could
significantly affect the requirements for their industry.

SCCP recently held its first workshop in India, with a focus on improving
codes and standards for fire safety in tall buildings. Rep. McDermott's letter
was read to workshop attendees to underscore the support the program is
receiving from the U.S. public sector.

"The program will work to increase transparency for standards and regulatory
requirements, encourage policies that would facilitate trade, and help U.S.
industry engage in standards development activities in India," said Mr.
McDermott in his letter, available in full here.

"Collaboration in the areas of standards and conformity assessment not only
helps to reduce barriers to bilateral trade and investment, but also
facilitates transfer of technologies between the U.S. and India," explained S.
Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. "With the trade relationship between India
and the United States growing by leaps and bounds, this is the perfect time to
share information and build relationships through efforts like SCCP. We thank
Representative McDermott for his continued engagement and support of this
program."

For more information or to participate, visit
www.standardsportal.org/us-indiasccp or contact Leslie McDermott, ANSI program
administrator for regional and bilateral affairs (lmcdermott@ansi.org;
202-331-3626).

About ANSI
ANSI is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S.
global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting,
facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization
and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses,
professional societies and trade associations, standards developers,
government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute
represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and
organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee,
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S.
representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). ANSI currently
has offices in New York City and Washington, DC. For more information about
ANSI, see www.ansi.org.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute

Elizabeth Neiman of American National Standards Institute, +1-212-642-4911