A few friends have asked me why a local Consulate matters, if all visa processing happens online and by mail any way. It is true that many Indians and Americans only interact with the Consulate for *routine* visas and passports

There are two fallacies in this thinking

First, if there is an emergency such as a lost or stolen passport, a serious illness back in India or an Indian traveler to the USA getting injured or sick, a local Consulate in the second largest city in the country can provide local emergency service.  

Second, Consulates provide many many more services beyond visas.  Otherwise Canada, Japan, Australia and most of Western Europe would not need Consulates at all since they have visa free travel to the USA.

Please convince your friends to sign this petition. It is my last appeal. We are already at 3,500 signatures. With a bit of a push, we can cross 4,000 and submit this to Prime Minister Modi.

Thanks to each of you who have signed this petition. Thanks also to each one who has shared it with friends and colleagues. 

Gunjan Bagla

CEO, Amritt Inc

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gunjan/