On June 21, during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, he met with prominent people of the Indian diaspora coming from the field of academia holding leadership positions in New York City. PM Modi is in the US on a State visit at the invitation of President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.
PM Modi discussed how to improve collaboration between Indian and US-based universities with the group of academics to enhance skill development and the scope of innovation in India. The group of academics who met PM Modi comprised Chandrika Tandon, Chair of the Board, NYU Tandon School of Engineering; Neeli Bendapudi, President of Pennsylvania State University; Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor, University of California, San Diego; Satish Tripathi, President of the University at Buffalo; Professor Jagmohan Raju, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania; Madhav V Rajan, Dean, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago; Professor Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science; Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University.
During the meeting, the group of academics discussed the possibilities of enhancing research collaborations and academic exchanges under India’s new Education Policy (NEP 2020). The group of experts and PM Modi discussed a range of developmental and geo-political issues. Academics also shared perspectives and experiences from their respective areas of expertise with PM Modi.
According to agricultural scientist Professor Lal, he also discussed about agriculture with PM Modi and how it can be a possible solution for climate change. “It was an excellent meeting. He has made us very proud of being Indian…we hope that we will have an opportunity to serve India through the policy that PM Modi has”, Professor Lal said.
PM Modi also tweeted about his interaction with the group of Indian-origin academics. He stated, “In New York City, held an extensive interaction with a group of academics. They shared their views on how to further strengthen the education sector in India with a focus on skills and innovation. I talked about the transformative potential of our National Education Policy”.
During his state visit, Prime Minister Modi also met a group of experts from various think tanks and discussed geopolitics, the global economic situation, terrorism and other relevant issues. Among those he met included Michael Froman, President-designate and Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), New York; Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, New York; Max Abrahms, Associate Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, Boston; Jeff M. Smith, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation, DC; Elbridge Colby, Co-founder of ‘The Marathon Initiative’, based in Washington DC and Guru Sowle, Founder-member, Director (Indo-US Affairs), Indus International Research Foundation, Texas.
PM Modi tweeted about his meeting with think tank experts, “Met a group of people associated with key think tanks. We talked about different aspects of policy making and the emerging global trends. Emphasised on the positive changes in India and how they are being powered by our youth”.
Prime Minister Modi also met experts from the healthcare sector on June 21. PM Modi and the experts discussed various matters related to the healthcare sector, including the use of digital technologies for quality healthcare, a greater focus on integrative medicine and better healthcare preparedness
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The experts from the healthcare sector include Dr Peter Hotez, Founding Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Texas; Dr Sunil A David, CEO of ViroVax based in Texas; Dr Stephen Klasko, Advisor to General Catalyst; Dr Lawton R Burns, Professor of Healthcare Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Dr Vivian S Lee, Founding President, Verily Life Sciences; Dr Peter Agre, Physician, Nobel laureate and molecular biologist, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
PM Modi tweeted about his interaction with the healthcare experts, “Had an informative discussion with a group of healthcare experts. They shared their rich perspectives on ways to augment healthcare capacities in India. I told them about the work we have done in integrating the latest technology in the sector and our efforts like TB elimination”.
After meeting with experts from various sectors, PM Modi went to attend the International Yoga Day celebrations at the UN headquarters. He will then travel to Washington DC and will receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22. He is scheduled to address a Joint Sitting of the US Congress. After that, on the evening of June 22, PM Modi will attend the State dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
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