NEW DELHI: The US President Barack Obama will have a very engaging schedule when he lands in India on January 25 with his wife Michelle for their three-day visit.
Apart from being the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade (the first US President to do so) in the morning on January 26, President Obama, sources said, is ‘expected to address a meeting of about 30 top CEOs at the Taj Palace hotel here in the evening where he is expected to discuss bilateral trade relations between the two nations.”
After his meeting with Indian CEOs in the first session, in the evening the US President is expected to hold a close-door meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the same venue. The emphasis of the expected interaction would be on further improving trade relations between the two nations. Prime Minister Modi’s “Make In India Initiative” is also likely to be one of the important components of the meetings, sources added.
Sources said the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce would play a key role in organising President Obama’s meeting with the who’s who of India Inc.
“The Obama-CEO meet would pave the way for how India and the US conduct business in the days ahead,” the source said requesting anonymity.
The US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker who will also be a part of President Obama’s team is likely to address top Indian businessmen on January 27, sources said. The interaction is being organised by the apex industry chamber Ficci.
During his US visit in September last year Prime Minister Modi had over a power packed breakfast meeting with CEOs of America’s top corporate invited them to participate in India’s growth story and invest in sectors including infrastructure, aviation, defence, railway infrastructure among others.