Prime Minister Narendra Modi will brainstorm with media baron Rupert Murdoch and 15 other leaders of the world media industry on how to use communication technology for development on Thursday, Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Arun K. Singh said. Mr. Modi arrived in New York City on Wednesday evening. “Trends in communication technology can be harnessed to deal with many challenges that developing societies such as ours face,” said Mr. Singh.
The Prime Minister’s day is scheduled to start with a roundtable on financial sector, in which New York’s big names in investment banking and rating agencies are expected to assemble, and end with a dinner meeting with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Both these meetings will promote the ‘Make in India’ campaign to invite investors to manufacture in India, according to officials who briefed the media. Mr. Modi will also have separate meetings with Michael Bloomberg, and Marillyn A. Hewson, CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation, leading U.S. defence equipment manufacturer.
“Start-ups, innovation and manufacturing are the thrust areas of this visit,” said Vikas Swarup, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.
Mr. Modi’s series of bilateral meetings with world leaders include Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, French President François Hollande, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Tha, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. His meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled at 11 a.m. on September 28.
The G-4 summit of the leaders of India, Germany, Brazil and Japan will be on September 26. India’s permanent representative to the U.N. Alok Mukherjea said the summit level engagement among these countries, which takes place after a gap of 10 years indicates the seriousness with which the subject of UN reforms is being pursued.
During his two-day visit to the Silicon Valley on September 26 and 27, Mr. Modi will meet Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Mr. Modi will also meet Apple CEO Tim Cook and participate in a Facebook town hall, along with its founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Mr. Swarup said there was no meeting scheduled between Mr. Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Asked whether they would take measures to avoid each other’s paths, since both the leaders are staying at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, Mr. Swarup said: “There is no deliberate attempt to ensure that their paths do not cross. As of now, there is no bilateral meeting on the schedule and there is no pull-aside planned. If it happens, you will get to know,” he said.
Here's Prime Minister Modi's complete itinerary:
After assuming office in June 2014, Mr. Modi has visited several countries in a bid to hard sell his government's 'Make In India' campaign and to boost bilateral relations. Here is an >interactive map of countries visited by the Prime Minister and the highlights of his visit.
