 "Big investment in semiconductor sector, 2 new consulates in US… Takeaways from Day 2 of PM Modi’s visit")
It’s been an eventful Day 2 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s United States visit. After a successful Quad summit in Delaware, PM Modi headed to New York as part of his three-day visit to the US.
And it’s been a day of events, activities and interactions for Modi — from the mega ‘Modi & US’ community event in the Nassau Coliseum to his roundtable with top American CEOs in the tech sector.
The PM also held bilaterals with other world leaders, including Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
As PM Modi unwinds after a hectic day and gears up for his third and final day, which will see him address the United Nations Summit of the Future, here’s all that happened on Day 2.
Modi at diaspora event
The big highlight of PM Modi’s Day 2 in the US was the ‘Modi & US’ event — an address to the Indian diaspora at the Nassau Coliseum stadium in Long Island, New York. Thousands of Indian-Americans attended the event in which PM Modi discussed a range of topics — from the role the diaspora plays to the ambitious goals he has set out for his third term in power.
As per reports, the stadium had an attendance of over 13,000 people, the majority of them from the New York and New Jersey area with others coming in from 40 other states. Organisers said that 60 charter buses had been used for transportation purposes.
In the address, PM Modi praised the Indians settled in the United States, calling them “brand ambassadors” of India, and said that it is owing to them that the US-India partnership continues to flourish. Referring to a Sanskrit shloka that “it is those who make sacrifices reap benefits”, the prime minister said wherever the Indian diaspora lives, they contribute to the societal and national development in every field.
PM Modi in his speech also laid down the ‘PUSHP’ blueprint for a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India). He said that the acronym stands for progressive, unstoppable, skilled and spiritual, humanity first, and prosperous. The PM said that India was progressing fast in all sectors and that he had a three-fold sense of responsibility in the third term. He said that today’s youth dreamed big and aspired to achieve their goals, which helped in the nation’s development. “We were the tenth largest economy, now we are the fifth largest. Every Indian wants the country to be the third largest as soon as possible,” said the prime minister.
He also touched upon India’s digital push, stating that the nation had surpassed US’ 5G network in just two years. He also added that India was already working on rolling out a new 6G network.
He also touched upon his pet project of ‘Make in India’, saying it wasn’t long that US would have Indian-made semiconductors. “India is a launching pad for all sorts of technologies. We are not going to stop or slow down. Our goal is to have more devices worldwide running on Made in India chips.”
And PM Modi didn’t stop there. He said that while the world thinks of AI as artificial intelligence, he thinks of it as America-India spirit. “For the world, AI means artificial intelligence, but for me, AI also means American-Indian spirit.”
Speaking about India’s ambitions, he said that the country is undertaking every effort to ensure that it hosts the 2036 Olympics. “Very soon, you will witness the Olympics in India too,” he said amid cheers and chants of ‘Modi, Modi’.
The PM in his speech also announced the opening of two new consulates in the US — one in Boston and another in Los Angeles. “Friends last year, I announced that our government had plans to open a new consulate in Seattle. It is now operational. I had asked for suggestions from you for two more consulates. I am happy to announce that after reviewing your suggestions, India has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles,” the PM announced.
The Modi & US event also saw cultural performances from various artistes, including today’s big star — Hanumankind. The rapper performed his famous hit Big Dawgs before PM Modi as the audience cheered for him.
Pop sensation Hanumankind performs at Modi&US diaspora event in New York pic.twitter.com/5oxDZiG9Qb
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) September 22, 2024
Singer Aditya Gadhvi also enthralled the audience with his hit song Khalasi.
#WATCH | Modi&US Event | Singer Aditya Gadhvi performs in Nassau Coliseum in New York, Long Island.
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2024
PM Modi will shortly address the Indian diaspora, here. pic.twitter.com/JbvUygJUxf
Bilaterals with world leaders
After his big diaspora event, PM Modi held bilaterals with different world leaders who converged in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
Modi met with Nepal’s KP Sharma Oli during which he expressed his intention to visit the Himalayan nation soon. Nepal’s Oli described the talks as positive during a brief interaction with the media following the meeting. PM Modi also met with Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Al-Sabah of Kuwait.
Another notable bilateral that PM Modi held on Day 2 of his US visit was that with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . In this meeting, Modi expressed his deep concern at the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza owing to the war, which began almost a year ago. He also affirmed New Delhi’s support to the region.
“Met President Mahmoud Abbas in New York. Reiterated India’s support for the early restoration of peace and stability in the region. Exchanged views of further strengthening long-standing friendship with the people of Palestine,” Modi said in a post on X.
PM Modi’s roundtable with tech CEOs
For his final event on Day 2 of his US visit, PM Modi interacted with the CEOs of 15 major firms working on cutting-edge technologies such as AI, quantum computing and semiconductors at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.
Those at the event included Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayena, Accenture’s Julie Sweet, NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, AMD’s Lisa Su, HP Inc’s Enrique Lores, IBM’s Arvind Krishna, Moderna’s chairman Dr Noubar Afeyan and Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg.
In his discussions with the CEOs, PM Modi said that in his third term in power, he would make every effort to ensure that India becomes the third largest economy in the world and encouraged that companies take advantage of the country’s growth story. “They can co-develop, co-design, and co-produce in India for the world, harnessing the opportunities from India’s economic and technological growth.”
He added that his government was committed to making India a global hub of semiconductor manufacturing, adding that the country would invest an ambitious $15 billion in the semiconductor field.
He also spoke about India’s BIO E3 (biotechnology for environment, economy and employment) policy to develop the country into a biotech powerhouse.
Modi’s upcoming Day 3
For his final day in the US — he is expected to return to New Delhi on September 24 — PM Modi will Modi is set to address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The theme of the summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’. A large number of world leaders are expected to participate in this summit, and Modi will hold bilateral meetings with several of them on the sidelines.
With inputs from agencies
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