Why PM Modi’s US visit is a big hit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has left for Egypt after wrapping up his first state visit to the United States, which saw a series of mega deals and announcements. Besides a bilateral talk with US president Joe Biden, an address to a joint session of the US Congress, and attending a grand state dinner, the Indian leader also met top tech and business leaders during his three-day state visit to Washington. In a joint statement issued by India and the US, the two nations asserted they are “among the closest partners in the world – a partnership of democracies looking into the 21st Century with hope, ambition, and confidence”. Let’s take a look at why Prime Minister Modi’s US visit was so fruitful. Defence deals India and the US entered key agreements in the defence sector as Modi visited the US. One of the most significant developments included American company General Electric announcing a collaboration with India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal will lead to a “significant amount of transfer of technology and work being done indigenously”.

The joint statement by Biden and Modi referred to the jet engine deal as a “landmark” and “trailblazing initiative”.

New Delhi will also procure 31 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) drones, MQ-9B, from General Atomics which intends to boost the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities of the Indian armed forces. [caption id=“attachment_12783942” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Narendra Modi with US president Joe Biden, Apple CEO Apple and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella at the White House. AP[/caption] The US Navy has also finalised a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with Larsen and Toubro Shipyard in Kattupalli (Chennai) and is in talks with Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai and Goa Shipyard (Goa). This will allow US Navy ships in the region to undergo service and repair at Indian shipyards. India and the US have also progressed to operationalise tools for increasing defence cooperation as well as strengthening undersea domain awareness. In a first, the two countries have agreed to keep three Indian liaison officers in US command, noted Indian Express.  Biden and Modi also hailed the launch of the US-India Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) – a network of universities, startups, industry and think tanks. This will facilitate a “joint defence technology innovation and co-production of advanced defence technology between the respective industries of the two countries”, reported ThePrint. Space sector India has signed the Artemis Accords, a US-led alliance aimed at guiding the safe exploration of the Moon and, eventually, Mars. Since its inception in 2020, as many as 25 other countries are a part of this international collaboration. US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will also develop a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of this year. Moreover, ISRO astronauts will receive advanced training from NASA in order to kickstart a joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024. Visas The US government will roll out a pilot this year to adjudicate visa renewals in America for some petition-based temporary work visas, including for Indian nationals. This could eventually expand to cover H1B and L visa holders and other categories by 2024, benefitting professionals as they will not have to travel overseas for the renewal of their work visas. ALSO READ: ‘ We’re shaping lives, dreams, destinies’: Why PM Modi’s diaspora speech in Washington is significant Semiconductor supply chains American technology firm Micron Technology announced its plan to invest up to USD 825 million to build a new $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in Gujarat with support from the Indian government, reported The Hindu. Applied Materials will set up a Semiconductor Centre for Commercialization and Innovation in India to boost semiconductor supply chain diversification. In the joint statement, Biden and Modi also appreciated Lam Research’s proposal to train 60,000 Indian engineers through its Semiverse Solution virtual fabrication platform. Critical minerals partnership India has joined Minerals Security Partnership (MSP), a US-led initiative for diverse and sustainable critical energy mineral supply chains. Launched in 2022, the MSP has 12 other partner countries, in addition to the European Union. India’s Epsilon Carbon Limited has decided to invest $650 million in a greenfield electric vehicle battery component factory, which, as per Indian Express, will be the “largest ever Indian investment in the US electric vehicle battery industry.” [caption id=“attachment_12783952” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington. AP[/caption] New consulates To enhance people-to-people ties and travel, both sides will open new consulates in each other’s countries.

While the US intends to open consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, India is planning to open a consulate in Seattle later in 2023.

Currently, there are five US consulates in India. India also aims to announce two more consulates in the US, as per the joint statement. Other key announcements The two countries have established a joint Indo-US Quantum Coordination Mechanism “to facilitate collaboration among industry, academia, and government, and our work toward a comprehensive Quantum Information Science and Technology agreement”, said the joint statement. The US will join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, which was inaugurated by Modi in 2015 to ensure a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain, as per Indian Express. Modi and Biden also launched two Joint Task Forces on advanced telecommunications, with a focus on Open RAN and research and development in 5G and 6G technologies. Google CEO Sundar Pichai informed Modi on Friday (23 June) about his plans to invest $10 billion in India’s digitisation fund. A $2 million grant programme will be set up under the US-India Science and Technology Endowment fund for the joint development and commercialisation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies. The US-India Commercial Dialogue will launch a new “Innovation Handshake” to connect the startup ecosystems of the two countries. India’s Sterlite Technologies Limited has invested $100 million to build an optical fibre cable manufacturing unit near Columbia, South Carolina, which will lead to $150 million in annual exports of optical fibre from India. India and the US have decided to continue to cooperate to meet their national climate and energy goals as well as stand together to counter global terrorism. The US National Cancer Institute will encourage the US and Indian scientists to join hands to develop AI-enabled digital pathology platform. As per Indian Express, the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases will sign a deal with the Indian Council of Medical Research to “further basic, clinical, and translational research on diabetes”. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.