Ivanka Trump, the daughter and advisor of United States President Donald Trump, on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he had shown that “transformational change” was possible in India, ANI reported. Ivanka Trump’s comments came after she along with the prime minister inaugurated the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad.
“What you are achieving here [in India] is truly extraordinary,” Ivanka Trump told the prime minister. “It is incredible to visit this ancient city brimming with transformative technology.” She added that she was proud that a majority of the 1,500 entrepreneurs present at the summit were women.
“India is truly an inspiration to all of us in the world,” she said, according to a tweet by Niti Aayog.
“Fuelling the growth of women-led businesses isn’t simply good for our society – it’s good for our economy,” Trump added. “When women work, it creates a unique multiplier effect. Women are more likely than men to hire other women, and to give them access to capital, mentorship and networks. Women are also more likely to reinvest their income back in their families and communities.”
Asserting that the Donald Trump administration was committed to “supporting women, and men, who work, inside and outside of the home”, Ivanka Trump said that India’s economy could grow by over $150 billion (Rs 9,66,000 crore) in the next three years if it closed the gender gap in its labour force.
Earlier, Trump had also met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Invest in India, Modi tells global entrepreneurs
During his speech, Prime Minister Modi invited global entrepreneurs to set up their businesses in India. India, he added, provides an investment-friendly environment where archaic laws have been abolished and restrictions have been lifted.
“To my entrepreneur friends from across the globe, I would like to say: Come, Make in India, Invest in India – for India, and for the world,” the prime minister said.
The government, he added, had taken several steps to improve the business environment in the country that had helped it jump up in the global Ease of Doing Business rankings. “India has been an incubator for innovations and entrepreneurship over the ages,” he said, citing ancient Indian systems such as ayurveda and yoga.
Prime Minister Modi said that the government believed that the empowerment of women was vital to the country’s development. “Indian women continue to lead in different walks of life,” the prime minister said. “Our space programmes, including the Mars Orbiter Mission, have had immense contribution from women scientists. Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams, both of Indian origin, have been part of US space missions.”
Modi added that three out of the four oldest high courts in the country were now headed by women judges, and that India had produced many prominent women sportspeople from Hyderabad.
He also said how women were now participating more in decision-making at the grassroots level. “In India, we have constitutionally provided for not less than one third of women representation in rural and urban local bodies, ensuring women’s participation in grass-root level decision-making,” the prime minister said.
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