US First Lady Jill Biden joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their visit to the National Science Foundation in Virginia, where she highlighted his commitment to education and emphasized its role in strengthening the bilateral ties between India and the US.
Modi visited the US federal agency that supports science and engineering, shortly after he arrived in Washington on the second leg of his maiden state visit to the country.
The First Lady and PM Modi also met students from India and the US who are learning skills to succeed in industries vital to the economies of the two countries.
Read More: Narendra Modi US Visit Highlights: PM in Washington; State Dinner With Biden, Address to Joint Session of US Congress on Agenda
“With this official visit, we are bringing together the world’s oldest and largest democracies. But our relationship is not just about governments, we are celebrating the families, and the friendship between both countries. The US-India partnership is deep and expansive as we jointly tackle global challenges. Education is an issue that is close to PM Modi’s heart and mine,” US First Lady said.
“You work to ensure that all Indians, especially girls have the opportunity to pursue education and gain the skills they need for a modern workforce. It is exciting to be able to show you some of the innovative programs our schools and businesses are creating for the students here
“If we want our economies to be strong, we need to invest in young people who are our future. We need to ensure that they have the opportunities that they deserve. Through Joe’s Investing in America agenda, we are creating millions of good jobs in growing industries like clean energy & manufacturing,” Jill added.
Addressing the students attending the event, the PM said India is working on multiple projects with US National Science Foundation. He said that India’s goal is to make this decade a tech decade, what he described as a “Techade.”
Read More: PM Modi in US: India Aims to Make This Decade a Tech Decade – ‘Techade’
“We have established around 10,000 Atal Tinkering Labs in schools wherein children are being provided with all kinds of facilities for various types of innovations. To encourage young entrepreneurs, we have started ‘Start-Up India’ mission. Our goal is to make this decade a tech decade – Techade,” he said.
“I am very happy that I got to meet these young and creative people right after visiting Washinton DC. With NSF, India is working on a lot of projects. I want to thank First Lady Jill Biden to plan and organise this event,” he added.
In his address, PM Modi even brought up the New Education Policy and integrated education and skilling taking place in India. “Under Skill India, we have skilled over 15 billion people in the field of artificial intelligence, blockchain, drone and others,” he added.
Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC where he was given a guard of honour amid incessant rains.
In the Washington leg of the visit, Prime Minister will hold bilateral talks with President Joe Biden and address a joint session of the US Congress.
Read More: PM Modi in US: Indian Diaspora Brave Rain to Welcome Prime Minister in Washington | WATCH
Modi arrived here from New York where he led a historic event at the UN Headquarters earlier in the day to commemorate the 9th International Day of Yoga, attended by UN officials, diplomats and prominent personalities.
The prime minister, who is visiting the US at the invitation of President Biden, will join them for the state banquet along with a number of dignitaries on Thursday. Indian diaspora members braved the rain to welcome Modi at Freedom Plaza in Washington.
In his departure statement, Modi said his discussions with President Biden and other senior US leaders will provide an opportunity to consolidate bilateral cooperation as well as in plurilateral forums such as G20, Quad and IPEF (Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity).
Noting that the US Congress has always provided strong bi-partisan support to India-US ties, Modi said that during his visit, he will address a joint session of the US Congress at the invitation of the Congressional leadership.
The US is India’s largest trade partner in goods and services, and the two countries collaborate closely in the fields of science and technology, education, health, defence and security, the prime minister said.
(With inputs from Sanjay Jha)
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