Packed agenda for Modi in U.S.

Prime Minister will leave for the United States on Friday with plans to pack in 50 engagements in five days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for the United States on Friday with plans to pack in 50 engagements in five days.

In a briefing ahead of Mr. Modi’s visit, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the engagements would include the summit with U.S. President Barack Obama, his administration and politicians, heads of State, leading industrialists and fund managers and the Indian diaspora.

No meet with Sharif

During his visits to New York and Washington, Mr. Modi would have three public addresses, three business engagements, three engagements with the Indian diaspora and at least three bilateral meetings with the leaders of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

No meeting is expected with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who will address the U.N. on September 26, a day ahead of Mr. Modi.

The Prime Minister will also visit the 9/11 memorial in New York and three memorials in Washington, including the Mahatma Gandhi statue.

The highlights of his New York visit will be his first UN General Assembly address, an address to Indian-American supporters at Madison Square Gardens and to the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park.

Will observe fast

Mr. Modi will run his schedule on an empty stomach, the spokesperson confirmed, as >he will be observing the Navratri fast during the entire visit.

Asked about what that meant for his dinner with President Obama, Mr. Akbaruddin said: “The Indian government has conveyed the PM’s dietary preferences to the American hosts.”

Mr. Modi is expected to restrict himself to lime water during his interactions with President Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, who will host a dinner and a lunch for him respectively.

The Ministry of External Affairs was, however, tight-lipped about any key deliverables from the visit. “All I can assure you is that you will have enough to report,” Mr. Akbaruddin told journalists.

Another official, handling the “Americas” desk, confirmed that India and the U.S. would discuss intellectual property rights, trade and nuclear issues with defence and infrastructural investment topping the agenda.

Business engagements

As The Hindu has reported, there will be MoUs on “smart-city” tie-ups as well. The focus is expected to be on garnering investment during the many business engagements Mr. Modi is planning. On Monday, he will meet 11 top CEOs for breakfast, including the heads of Google, PepsiCo and Carlyle investment group, followed by select one-on-one meetings with six other business leaders, including chiefs of General Electric, IBM, Boeing, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs investments.

On global issues, Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama will discuss possible cooperation on Afghanistan, development projects in Africa as well as the possibility of cooperation on the new U.S. war against terror group IS.