John Kerry defends NSA's surveillance program

The US Secretary of State John Kerry at a press conference in Hyderabad House today said that he had discussions on co-operations including technology, education, research and agriculture with India's External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.

Kerry defended PRISM surveillance program and said that NSA's spy program saved several lives and have prevented many terrorist attacks. "Our priority is the safety of the people of the world. There has been tremendous misinformation about the whole program," he said.

Kerry, who on three-day visit arrived India on Sunday also donated $150,000 towards relief of Uttarakhand's flood victims. "We express our deep sorrow to all the people affected by the floods," he added.

The US and India have also reaffirmed their commitment to timely implementation of the civil nuclear deal. The Indo-US dialogue, inaugurated in 2009 that reflects the strong strategic partnership between the two nations.

The US government has reportedly framed charges against the former contractor Edward Snowden in the National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance program. A report citing government officials, said that Snowden would face charges of espionage, theft and conversion of government property.

The Internet companies have apparently disassociated themselves from PRISM archive. Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Apple have already denied of having any knowledge of PRISM program and co-operation with government agencies.