The comparisons are more relevant when talking about public school and college systems in both the coutries. Also, I am not beating up on any one country, merely trying to point out the problems with the systems. Mathematics, in my humble opinion, teaches students logical and rational thinking - it lays the foundation of independent and lateral thinking.
Indian schools start teaching maths, like multiplication tables, at the elementary level itself.
It is given a lot of importance and is a must for students who plan to do science related study in college. On the other hand, high school in America is so flexible that a lot of students who end up majoring in sciences in college do not take advanced maths and calculus in high school. In general, I found that at the end of their 1st year of university, math majors in the US are equivalent to high school graduates in India in terms of math study. The analytical thinking taught by mathematics is exactly what is required for software development. The flexibility of the American education system is its greatest strength and also its greatest weakness.