NEW DELHI: India and the US are now "joined at the hip". America's top diplomat can refer to his Indian counterpart by her first name and draw a smile. The two countries are also working together in African conflict zones and troubled Asian waters.

But at their last strategic talks before President Barack Obama steps down in January, India on Tuesday signalled its jitters over whether it had got enough from the US in return for a series of deals Washington has pushed through successfully.

From terrorism to defence cooperation, and clean energy to international trade, the Narendra Modi government is worried that some of the commitments made by the Obama administration may need to be renegotiated with the next US government.

These concerns, accentuated by the surprises thrown up during this US election season, were communicated by foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to secretary of state John Kerry during talks here today, senior officials said on Tuesday.

The government knows that perceptions that it has given more than it has got from the US over the past two years could fuel domestic accusations of facilitating an unequal relationship with the world's sole superpower.

The Centre faced criticism from the Congress after defence minister Manohar Parrikar signed a logistics pact with the US last night that allows American ships, planes and ground personnel to use Indian bases in times of war.

New Delhi knows the agreement risks upsetting rivals like Beijing and friends like Moscow. In theory, India too could use US bases but the strategic community sees little possibility of such an eventuality in the foreseeable future.

Yesterday, both Kerry and Sushma were full of public bonhomie as they cited the areas, 70 in all, where the two countries now cooperate in ways deeper and wider than before. Kerry twice referred to the Indian as "Sushma", who smiled but herself stuck to a formal "Secretary Kerry".

That warmth was also visible at the plenary meeting they held with a series of officials, including US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker and Indian commerce minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

"The plate between our two nations has never been fuller," Kerry said. "We are joined at the hip in this endeavour."

Sushma too referred to the deepening ties, marked among other things by an unprecedented four US visits in two years by Prime Minister Modi. "The intensity of the India-US relationship is unprecedented," she told Kerry.

But India's concerns with the impending transition in the White House formed a key element of the discussions Sushma had with Kerry before and during the plenary, two officials said.

Blurred label

During Modi's last visit to Washington in June, the US had declared India a "major defence partner", a term designed uniquely for New Delhi to allow it benefits usually restricted to America's Nato allies.

The understanding between the two sides was that this designation would allow India access to a range of military technology it was previously required to seek licences for - and thus allow New Delhi to develop its own defence industry.

But almost three months on, there is little clarity on the actual benefits that will accrue to India from that nomenclature.

"We want to take our expanding defence cooperation to the next stage of co-production and co-development," Sushma told Kerry. "For this, we need to define the benefits associated with India's designation as a 'major defence partner' of the US."

Climate cloud

In Paris last December, Modi had stood alongside Obama in pushing through a climate agreement under which India promised to reduce the rate of growth of its emissions and set targets for a greater dependence on clean fuel for its energy needs.

Inherent in India's commitments was an assurance from developed countries -led by the US - that they would pool together $100 billion each year to aid developing nations with the transition.

Sushma indicated concerns whether Obama's successor would fulfil those assurances.

"We hope that the next US administration will continue to support the Paris agreement with the same seriousness and purpose as you have done, and that the goal of mobilising $100 billion per year from developed countries will be met with firm support from the US government," she told Kerry.

Visa fees

The Modi government has pushed through some economic changes the US wanted to see, including the first steps towards the implementation of a goods and services tax, which Kerry welcomed.

America, in the meantime, has increased the fees for H1B and L1B work visas, hitting Indian firms and individual workers. Both Sushma and Sitharaman articulated concerns over the fee hike with their respective counterparts, who agreed to "look into" the worries but made no commitments.

Apec lethargy

India has aligned itself closer than ever with the US in the Asia Pacific through a joint vision unveiled last year when Obama visited in January, and is steadily hardening its position against China's aggression in the South China Sea.

A trilateral maritime security initiative that also includes Japan is expanding its mandate - at the risk of upsetting China.

But the US, several Indian officials argue, has not yet moved beyond a stated support for India's membership of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) group that has emerged as a key trading bloc.

"I hope that you will treat the issue of India's membership of the Apec forum positively," Sushma told Kerry. "This has as much strategic significance as it has commercial potential."

Nuclear wait

India had last year agreed to create a pool of funds from public sector insurance firms to effectively cover the liability of foreign nuclear manufacturers who supply reactors. The objective was to find a way around American and French concerns over New Delhi's nuclear liability law.

But more than a year later, Indian officials said, the US continues to suggest that New Delhi is primarily responsible for the failure of American firms Westinghouse and GE to sign even one commercial contract yet with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

"We hope to see our civil nuclear cooperation take shape in the form of new reactors that will deliver reliable electricity to tens of millions of Indian households," Kerry said.

Pak tightrope

There were clear gains, too, from the strategic dialogue.

Washington offered to revive a trilateral mechanism between the US, India and Afghanistan on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York next month.

Kerry indicated that the trilateral talks may "perhaps also seek the resolution to this challenge" -- India has long wanted to play a more active part in bringing peace to Afghanistan and has long worried about US dependence on Pakistan.

But how long the US stays this course remains a question, officials said, pointing to Kerry's attempts to balance Indian concerns over terrorism from Pakistan with Islamabad's military action against terrorists.

Kerry agreed with Sushma in private, and at a media briefing publicly sought justice for the victims of the Mumbai attacks of 2008 and the Pathankot strike in January this year.

But he also cited Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts against groups like the Haqqani network, which has repeatedly targeted Afghan and Indian facilities in Afghanistan.

"In recent weeks and months, they have been much more authoritative against the Haqqani network and have tried to expand that elsewhere," Kerry said. "I am convinced that we are on the road to success (against terrorism)."

-The Telegraph Calcutta