Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held meetings with the chief executive officers of five United States-based companies at the beginning of his visit to the country, PTI reported.
Two of the CEOs – Shantanu Narayen of software company Adobe and Vivek Lall of aeronautics firm General Atomics – are Indian-Americans. The other three business leaders whom Modi met were Cristiano E Amon of wireless technology company Qualcomm, Mark Widmar of solar panel manufacturer First Solar, and Stephen A Schwarzman of alternative investment management firm Blackstone.
Modi arrived in the United States on Wednesday and will be in the country till September 25. He is slated to take part in the first in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit, and will also hold individual meetings with US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
The prime minister is slated to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 25.
On Thursday, Modi and Narayen spoke about “Adobe’s ongoing collaboration and future investment plans” in India, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office. “Discussions also focused on India’s flagship programme Digital India, and use of emerging technologies in sectors like health, education and R&D,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Narayen later spoke about India’s National Education Policy, and said that his company is very supportive of more emphasis and interest in education. “For us, our biggest asset is people,” he told ANI.
In the meeting with Amon, the prime minister and the Qualcomm CEO spoke about investment opportunities in India’s telecommunications and electronics sector. Amon “expressed keenness” to work with India in areas such as 5G and other Digital India efforts, according to an official statement.
Modi and Widmar discussed India’s target of generating 450 gigawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. “Discussions also took place about First Solar’s interest in setting up manufacturing facilities in India using their unique thin-film technology by availing the recently launched Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme...” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The scheme is aimed at enhancing the country’s manufacturing capabilities and enhancing exports across ten sectors.
Widmar said that Modi has created a “strong balance” between industrial and trade policies, and that this makes it an “ideal opportunity” for companies like First Solar to establish many factories in India.
Modi is also expected to hold talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday, Reuters reported. During the meeting, the prime minister is slated to discuss the coronavirus situation, cooperation in technology, space and other fields, the agency quoted unidentified officials as saying.
The 76th session of the UN General Assembly is being held at the world body’s headquarters in New York
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