The diaspora reception is being hosted by the United States Indian Community Foundation (USICF).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-anticipated address to the gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC began with international singer Mary Millben rendering India’s National Anthem. The invitation-only event with the Indian diaspora will focus on their role in “India’s growth story”.
Chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and ‘Vande Mataram’ reverberated inside the building as Modi arrived to deliver his goodbye speech after a historic State visit to the US.
Referring to US President Joe Biden as an 'experienced politician' and recalling their discussions in the last three days, Modi added, “He has always tried to take the India-US partnership to another level. I want to thank you all for showing such a beautiful image of 'Ek Bharat, Sreshth Bharat', in America.”
Lauding the several deals inked during his maiden State visit, the PM announced that India-US ties had embarked on a glorious new journey by converging on global strategic issues, technology transfer, manufacturing cooperation, and more. He called the General Electric Aerospace-HAL deal to manufacture fighter planes for IAF a 'milestone' for India's defence sector.
Reiterating that ‘sky is not the limit’, Modi explained that the Artemis Accord will provide several opportunities in space exploration. He added that huge investment announcements from companies like Google Micron, Applied Materials will boost ‘Make in India’ and create employment opportunities.
Referring to the US State Department's plan for a small number of Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas to renew it in the US without having to travel abroad, the PM, receiving a standing ovation, said, “America's new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.”
Touching upon the digital revolution in India, Modi attributed the ‘tremendous progress’ to the belief of 140 crore people in the country. “Hundreds of years of colonisation had taken this belief away from us,” he added. He also expressed gratitude to the American government for the decision to return more than 100 ‘stolen’ antiquities of India.
Urging entrepreneurs to invest in India as it is the ‘best time’, Modi said, “India is the mother of democracy and America is the champion of advanced democracy - our biggest trading partner and export destination - but the real potential of the bilateral relation is yet to come out.”
Concluding his address, Modi asserted that the India-US partnership will be beneficial in the 21st century. “You all play a crucial role in this partnership…. meeting you all is like having a sweet dish after a meal.,” he said.
The event scheduled for two hours began a little after 7 pm on June 23 (US time).
The diaspora reception was hosted by the United States Indian Community Foundation (USICF).
Earlier, Modi, while addressing the US-India Strategic partnership forum (USISPF), said that American companies have invested around USD 16 billion in India in the last two years.
Disclaimer: This Article is auto-generated from the HT news service.
