Modi Meets Musk, Dignitaries on Day 1 of US Visit

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The prime minister highlighted reforms undertaken by the government to foster economic growth, including reduction of compliances and decriminalisation of large number of legal provisions … writes Kaliph Anaz

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the very outset of his four-day-long US visit met an array of dignitaries including Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Musk described himself as a “fan of Narendra Modi” and said “I am incredibly excited about the future of India. I think India has more promise than any large country in the world.”

The prime minister earlier met Musk in 2015 during a visit to the Tesla Motors factory in California. On being asked about a timeline for Tesla coming to India, Musk said, “I am confident Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible.”

Musk saying Tesla coming to India

” Modi really cares about India because he is pushing us to make significant investments in India, which is something that we tend to do. We just have to figure out the right timing,” the Twitter chief added. “He really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive of the companies. And obviously, at the same time, make sure that it accrues to India’s advantage,” Musk said, as reported by NDTV.

During an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Musk was asked if the automaker was interested in the Indian market. “Absolutely,” he replied. He added that Tesla is likely to finalise a location to set up its India factory by the end of this year.

Modi during the first leg of his visit is in New York and then on to Washington, a historic first Official State visit to USA with a packed programme.

The visit will set the stage for further accelerating the India-US partnership.

Modi also engaged with policy shapers and incubators of new ideas.

He held discussions with various think tank experts, covering a range of developmental and geopolitical issues. Modi invited them to enhance their presence in India as it embarks on its transformation during the Amritkaal.

Modi had a stimulating exchange of views with eminent economist and Nobel laureate Prof Paul Romer.

Discussions touched upon India’s digital journey, including the use of Aadhaar and innovative tools like Digilocker. Talks also covered various initiatives being undertaken by India for urban development.

Energising India-US knowledge partnership, Modi interacted with a group of eminent US academics hailing from diverse fields of agriculture, marketing, engineering, health, science and technology.

Talks focused on the possibilities of enhancing research collaborations and two-way academic exchanges under India’s New Education Policy. Academics also shared perspectives and experiences from their respective areas of expertise.

Catalyzing India-US space collaboration, Modi interacted with celebrated US astrophysicist, author and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Exchanged views on inculcating scientific temperament among youth. They discussed at length India’s rapid progress in the space sector including various space exploration missions being undertaken by India.

Modi also highlighted the potential of academic collaboration and private participation in the space sector between 🇮🇳 & 🇺🇸 under India’s National Space Policy.

A fruitful meeting was held between Modi and investor, author and co-founder of hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates Ray Dalio.

The prime minister highlighted reforms undertaken by the government to foster economic growth, including the reduction of compliances and decriminalisation of a large number of legal provisions. He invited Dalio for further investing in India.

Modi held an engrossing conversation with acclaimed Buddhist scholar and author, Padma Shri Bob Thurman.

They exchanged perspectives on how Buddhist values can act as a guiding light for finding solutions to global challenges. Also discussed India’s Buddhist connection and efforts being made by India for the preservation of Buddhist heritage.

Modi kick-started his visit to the US with a warm discussion with a distinguished mathematical statistician, public intellectual & author, Prof Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Modi lauded Prof Taleb for his contribution to bringing complex ideas of risk and fragility into popular conversations. Highlighted India’s growing start-up ecosystem and the risk-taking abilities of India’s young entrepreneurs.

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