New York: After an astounding reception at the historic Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to meet top American CEOs on Monday ahead of his meeting with US President Barack Obama.
Modi is scheduled to meet former US President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton before heading for Washington.
Modi is expected to interact with 11 leading CEOs, including including Google’s Eric Schmidt, David M. Rubenstein of The Carlyle Group, Citigroup CEO Michael Corbat, Doug Oberhelman of Caterpillar Inc, Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo and Michael Ball of US-based global pharmaceutical company Hospira Inc. and Kenneth C. Frazier of Merck and Co.
Modi will put forth India’s vision of economic development and FDI during his meetings with leading businessmen.
Before heading to US, Modi launched the much-anticipated ‘Make in India’ campaign, where he promised red carpet treatment for investors.
In his earlier speeches, he has been encouraging foreign investors to collaborate in India for mutual growth and development.
The ‘Make in India’ initiative aims at identifying select domestic companies with leadership in innovation and new technology to turn them into global champions. The focus will be on promoting green and advanced manufacturing and helping these companies to become an important part of the global value chain.
With emotional appeals and promises of action, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged thousands of Indian-Americans at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday to help him develop the nation’s economy, vowing that under his leadership, India won’t look back.
A day after addressing a hushed UN General Assembly, where headphone-wearing delegates rarely break into a smile, Narendra Modi received a tumultuous welcome from upward of 18,000 people. He announced plans to simplify the immigration bureaucracy for Indians living abroad, and called on them to “join hands to serve our mother India.”
Modi drew on the mix of high aspirations and homespun style that served him well on the campaign trail when he won a convincing election victory in May.
Modi told a rapturous crowd of NRIs that Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders will get lifetime Indian visa and that American tourists will be given visa on arrival.
Modi announced the merger of PIO and Overseas Citizens of India schemes to facilitate hassle-free travel to the Indian diaspora. He announced that PIO card holders staying in India on long-term basis will no longer have to report to the local police station.
Prime Minister Modi affirmed that India will move ahead at a rapid pace and lead the 21st Century world.
Listing out India’s advantages, the Prime Minister said that its three strengths were democracy, demographic dividend in which 65 per cent of its population was under 35 years, and the demand for India because it was a huge market.
In his 75-minute-long speech in Hindi, which he began with ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ while extending greetings for Navratri festival, Modi promised good governance, saying after a gap of 30 years India has got a government at the Centre with a clear majority.
Attended by Indian-Americans from across the country and also from five provinces in Canada, this was the largest ever public reception to an Indian Prime Minister in America, a fact acknowledged by Modi himself.
The speech was beamed live at the iconic Times Square and was watched by Indian Americans in ‘Modi Watch Party’ ranging from universities to small cities to community centres.
