PM Narendra Modi is the third Indian leader to make a state visit to the US.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for the US today on a landmark state visit – the highest diplomatic reception reserved for closest allies. An unprecedented deal on jet engine technology transfer is also expected during the visit.
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PM Modi’s schedule for the next three days will involve a rare address to the joint session of the US Congress, meetings with business leaders and Indian expats, and a state dinner at the White House with US President Joe Biden.
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The address to the US Congress on Thursday will be a second for the Prime Minister. The invitation to deliver the speech was extended by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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“No Indian prime minister has addressed it twice. World over also, very few people have done that… Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela… That’s why its importance is huge,” Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has said.
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PM Modi is the third world leader after France’s Emmanuel Macron and South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol to be invited by President Biden for a state visit and dinner.
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On Wednesday, the World Yoga Day, the Prime Minister would lead the Yoga event at the UN building. On Friday, he will address a gathering of expat leaders from across US at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington.
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Hundreds of Indian-Americans are gathering at iconic locations across the US — including Times Square in New York and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco — to send messages of welcome to PM Modi.
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“People from all walks of life including Members of Congress, thought leaders and others have been sharing their enthusiasm on my upcoming USA visit,” PM Modi has tweeted. “I thank them for their kind words. Such diverse support underlines the depth of the India-USA relationship,” the tweet read.
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There are hopes, meanwhile, that General Electric may produce the cutting-edge GE-F414 jet engine in India, in a multi-million-dollar deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL. The engine powers the F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy’s go-to fighter.
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Jet engine technology is widely considered the holy grail of aviation technology and a manufacturing unit will be transformational for Indian airspace. The US has never allowed the transfer of this level of technology to anyone.
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PM Modi is the third Indian leader to make a state visit to the US. The other two were by former president Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in June 1963 and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009.