Modi, who is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, met over two dozen thought leaders from various walks of life, including Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academicians, and health sector experts.
Washington D. C., Jun21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday met prominent US personalities from different walks of life, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Paul Romer, and Neil deGrasse Tyson in New York on the first day of his visit to the US.
Modi, who is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, met over two dozen thought leaders from various walks of life, including Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academicians, and health sector experts. He also met other notable personalities including author Nicholas Nassim Taleb, Falu Shah, Jeff Smith, Michael Froman, Daniel Russel, Elbridge Colby, Peter Agre, Stephen Klasko, and Chandrika Tandon.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk asserted that India has more promise than any other large country and that he is incredibly excited about its future. Asked if Tesla will enter the Indian market, Musk said he is planning to visit the country next year. “I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible,” he said.
PM Modi met with eminent economist and Nobel laureate Prof Paul Romer and held a discussion on India’s digital journey, including the use of Aadhar and innovative tools like Digilocker. The two also held conversations on various initiatives being undertaken by India for urban development. “We had extensive conversations on leveraging technology to improve lives. We also talked about how to make our cities more sustainable and people friendly,” PM Modi said in a tweet. Paul Romer after the meeting said, “A good day is when I learn something and I learned a bunch of what India is doing. India can show the way to the World on the authentication front through programs like Aadhaar. PM articulated it very well. That urbanization is not a problem. It’s an opportunity. I take this as a slogan.”
Modi also met, Nicholas Nassim Taleb, who said he was impressed by how India dealt with Covid efficiently. “I commended India for its response to covid and how India has very efficiently dealt with it. I discussed risk-taking and anti-fragility with PM Modi,” Taleb said. Taleb, a distinguished professor of Risk Engineering at New York University’s School of Engineering, presented his own book titled “Skin in the Game” as a gift to PM Modi.
PM Narendra Modi interacted with celebrated US astrophysicist, author, and science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson and exchanged views on inculcating scientific temperament among youth. He also discussed India’s rapid progress in the space sector including various space exploration missions being undertaken by India. The American astrophysicist said he was delighted to spend time with PM Modi and added that the Indian PM is scientifically thoughtful. “Sky is not the limit for PM Modi. I was delighted to spend time with the Leader, who is Scientifically thoughtful. Priorities might be out of balance for many world leaders but Prime Minister Modi cares for many things including solutions. I am not alone when I say that potential what India can accomplish knows no limit,” Neil deGrasse Tyson said.
The Prime Minister also held bilateral discussions with Author and Academic Professor Robert Thurman, in New York. Thurman, renowned for being the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West, also holds the esteemed positions of co-founder and president of Tibet House in New York.
PM Modi met Ray Dalio, investor, author, and co-founder of hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, and highlighted reforms undertaken by the government to foster economic growth, including reduction of compliances and decriminalization of a large number of legal provisions. The PM also invited Dalio for further investing in India.
Ray Dalio said India’s potential is enormous and lauded Modi as a reformed who has the ability to perform. “PM Modi is a man whose time has come when India’s time has come. The potential of India is enormous and you now have a reformer who has the ability to transform. India and Prime Minister Modi are at a juncture in which a lot of opportunities will be created,” Dallio said after the meeting.
PM Modi also held a conversation with a group of leading US experts from the health sector. During the meeting, he discussed matters pertaining to the domain of health including the use of digital technologies for quality healthcare, greater focus on integrative medicine, and better healthcare preparedness. The health experts who met the prime minister included Dr. Peter Hotez, Dr. Sunil A David, Dr. Stephen Klasko, Dr. Lawton R Burns, Dr. Vivian S Lee, and Dr. Peter Agre.
The prime Minister also engaged with policy shapers and incubators of new ideas and invited them to enhance their presence in India. PM Modi held discussions with various think tank experts, covering a range of developmental and geopolitical issues. The experts include Michael Froman, Daniel Russel, Max Abrahms, Jeff M Smith, Elbridge Colby, and Guru Sowle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a group of eminent US academics in New York from diverse fields of agriculture, marketing, engineering, technology, and health. The academics who met Modi included Dr. Robert J Jones, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, Dr. Pradeep Khosla, Dr. Satish Tripathi, Professor Jagmohan Raju, Dr. Madhav V Rajan, Professor Rattan Lal, and Dr. Anurag Mairal.
