Hank Paulson has embarked on his first official visit to India since becoming US Treasury secretary. Mr Paulson freely admits he knows much less about India than he does about China, but is eager to get to know the country better.

Top of his agenda is promoting financial services liberalisation, private sector infrastructure finance and the Doha trade talks. Looming over the trip is the controversial US-India nuclear accord, which the Indian government is unable to ratify in parliament.

Krishna Guha, the FT’s chief US economics correspondent, is accompanying Mr Paulson on his three cities in three nights trip