NEW DELHI: It was an unusual request from the head of the state of one of the biggest Asian economy but has the sign of being a “practical” man he is. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made some heads roll as he chose a chartered bus as his official vehicle during his three-day visit to India. Loong was traveling along with his contingent in the bus instead of hopping on a long cavalcade.
“It has been easier for us from the point of view of protocol and security to manage one bus instead of 20 cars in a cavalcade,” an MEA official said.
“This shows how humble and practical he is,” the official added. Prime Minister Loong, who is accompanied by his wife Ho Ching and a delegation comprising key ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials. They were received by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Statistics and Programme Implementation, Planning and Defence Rao Inderjit Singh upon his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.
The Singaporean Prime Minister attended a Lunch on hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He will leave for Udaipur on October 5 where he will meet Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. In
Udaipur,
Lee will attend the launch of Centre of Excellence for Tourism Training as part of skills development collaboration under the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership signed in November 2015.