Google picks former Modi think-tank official as India policy head -source

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Aditya Kalrap

pNEW DELHI Reuters – Alphabet Inc‘s Google has hired a new public policy head in India, Archana Gulati, who previously worked at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s federal thinktank and the countrys antitrust watchdog, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pA number of Indian government officials have been hired by Big Tech companies which are battling tighter data and privacy regulation, as well as competition law scrutiny, under Modis federal government.p

pGulati is a longterm Indian government employee, having worked until March 2021 as a joint secretary for digital communications at Modi‘s federal think tank, Niti Aayog, a body that is critical to government’s policy making across sectors. p

pBefore that, between 2014 and 2016, she worked as a senior official at Indias antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India, according to her LinkedIn profile.p

pA Google India spokesperson confirmed the development to Reuters, but did not elaborate. Gulati did not immediately respond to a request for comment.p

pThe source declined to be named as the hiring decision was not public.p

pIndia‘s antitrust watchdog is currently looking into Google’s business conduct in the market of smart TVs, its Android operating system as well as its inapp payments system.p

pLast year, Meta Platforms Inc hired Rajiv Aggarwal – who spent years working in Indias federal and state governments – as its head of policy. p

pAnother former Indian antitrust and federal government official, Anand Jha, in 2019 joined Walmart as India public policy officer. He currently manages government relations for Blackstone in India.p

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pp Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi Editing by Kirsten Donovanp

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