Big deals, a historic US Congress speech and a lavish dinner: A recap of Modi's Day 2 in US

After making a mark in New York at the International Yoga Day event at the United Nations headquarters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived in Washington for his maiden state visit during which he held a bilateral meet with President Joe Biden, attended a press conference, addressed a joint session of the US Congress and had some laughs at the state dinner. Here’s a recap of all the happenings during Day 2 of his visit. Exchange of gifts The state visit began early on Thursday with Prime Minister Modi and the Bidens exchanging gifts. Modi presented President Biden with the first edition print of the book, ‘ The Ten Principal Upanishads’ at the White House. He also presented a sandalwood box, handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan to the US President. The box contains an idol of Lord Ganesha, a diya (oil lamp), a copper plate, and silver boxes which contain Das Danam or ten donations. He also gave First Lady Jill Biden a lab-grown 7.5-carat green diamond. [caption id=“attachment_12777912” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifts a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond placed in a papier mache box from Kashmir, known as ‘kar-e-kalamdani’ to US First Lady Jill Biden as President Joe Biden looks on during a private dinner at the White House, in Washington. PTI[/caption] In turn, the White House said that as the official gift, the president and the first lady presented PM Modi with a handmade, antique American book galley from the early 20th Century. Inking of major deals Following a bilateral meet with President Joe Biden, some big-ticket announcements were made in the sectors of defence, space and trade. In a landmark pact, GE Aerospace inked a MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II — Tejas. The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this. **Also Read: Who is Congressman Thanedar who escorted PM Modi to US Congress?** The agreement will advance GE Aerospace’s earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the LCA-Mk-II programme. India and the US are collaborating to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024. India has also decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration, and NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024. [caption id=“attachment_12777462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] MQ-9 Sea Guardian drone is displayed at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)[/caption] The two countries are also doubling down on their cooperation to secure their semiconductor supply chains. Micron Technology Inc is investing more than $800 million (Rs 6,562 crore) toward a $2.75 billion (Rs 22,561,000 crore) semiconductor assembly and testing facility in Gujrat, while Applied Materials Inc will announce a new semiconductor centre for commercialisation and innovation. Chip manufacturer Lam Research is also announcing a training program in India for up to 60,000 engineers. The US will open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad while India will establish a mission in Seattle to boost people-to-people relationships. A rare press conference Prime Minister Narendra Modi also did something very unusual on Thursday at the White House — he took questions from journalists. **Also Read: PM Modi makes first state visit to US: What is it? How is it different from other visits?** Replying to a question from the US media on the steps taken by the Indian government to protect the rights of Muslims and other minorities and uphold free speech, Modi said that ‘democracy runs in our veins’. Asserting that the country does not discriminate on the basis of religion or caste, the PM invoked the much-emphasised slogan of the BJP - sabka saath, sabka vikas. Addressing the US Congress Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the American legislature, and became the first Indian prime minister to speak before the US Congress twice. [caption id=“attachment_12777932” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Joint Session of US Congress, in Washington DC. PTI[/caption] In a blockbuster almost an hour-long speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi covered several topics – from the Russia-Ukraine war, terrorism across the world, the security of the Indo-Pacific region, the economy and democratic spirit. **Also Read: From Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh, when Indian PMs addressed US Congress** The prime minister pointed out that even though the two nations had different circumstances and history, they were united by a common vision and by a common destiny. He said, “When our partnership progresses, economic resilience increases, innovation grows, science flourishes, knowledge advances, humanity benefits, our seas and skies are safer, democracy will shine brighter, and the world will be a better place.” A lavish dinner President Biden and First Lady Jill also hosted Modi for a state dinner –a grand affair that sees American leaders and celebrities in attendance – on Thursday. **Also Read: PM Modi’s US state dinner: From Ambanis to Tim Cook, look who turned up** The black-tie event saw big names from all walks of life, including politics, business, technology, fashion and entertainment. With inputs from PTI Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.