Editor's Pick: Modi’s U.S. visit yields many vital agreements

On Thursday, India and the U.S. announced a slew of agreements on defence cooperation, critical and emerging technologies, health, environment, visas and space — including a deal which could pave the way for an unprecedented transfer of jet engine technology — as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S. President Joseph Biden as part of his first state visit to the United States. The two leaders met at the White House and made the point that both countries share democratic values while addressing a gathering of officials and thousands of members of the Indian-American diaspora. Mr. Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the White House South Lawn by the President and First Lady Jill Biden and both leaders addressed a press conference after their bilateral meeting. Mr. Modi answered two questions — one on democracy in India from the American press corps and another on climate change from the Indian media. Mr. Modi agreed with Mr. Biden that democracy was in the DNA of India and the U.S, maintaining that there was no discrimination in India. During their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister and the President also discussed the war in Ukraine, and Mr. Modi assured the President that India was completely ready to contribute in any way to restore peace. Earlier in the day, General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited announced they had signed a big-ticket MoU to jointly produce GE 414 jet engines in India for the Tejas Mk2 light combat aircraft. The Defence Ministries of the two countries also launched the inaugural session of an innovation platform — INDUS-X — in Washington DC on June 21, hosted by the U.S. India Business Council, to foster defence industrial collaboration. U.S. semiconductor and chip maker Micron Technology, Inc also announced that it would invest up to $825 million in a new chip assembly and test facility in Gujarat, which would be bolstered by investment from the Indian and Gujarat governments, totalling $2.75 billion. In space cooperation, India is signing on to a framework of 25 countries for space exploration and cooperation. The two countries have agreed on a mission to the International Space Station in 2024. Moreover, the U.S. is also announcing a pilot programme to renew visas domestically — which means that applicants do not have to travel outside the U.S. to get their renewal stamps — for certain petition-based temporary workers. The Hindu’s Editorials Unedifying row: On panchayat polls in West Bengal and security Spiralling violence: On the West Bank The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Who is the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve? Andrew Bailey Jerome Powell Kristalina Georgieva Janet Yellen To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 23 June 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Modi’s U.S. visit yields many vital agreements On Thursday, [India and the U.S. announced a slew of agreements on defence cooperation]( critical and emerging technologies, health, environment, visas and space — including a deal which could pave the way for an unprecedented transfer of jet engine technology — as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S. President Joseph Biden as part of his first state visit to the United States. The two leaders met at the White House and made the point that both countries share democratic values while addressing a gathering of officials and thousands of members of the Indian-American diaspora. Mr. Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the White House South Lawn by the President and First Lady Jill Biden and both leaders addressed a press conference after their bilateral meeting. Mr. Modi answered two questions — one on democracy in India from the American press corps and another on climate change from the Indian media. Mr. Modi agreed with Mr. Biden that democracy was in the DNA of India and the U.S, maintaining that there was no discrimination in India. During their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister and the President also discussed the war in Ukraine, and Mr. Modi assured the President that India was completely ready to contribute in any way to restore peace. Earlier in the day, General Electric and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited announced they had signed a big-ticket MoU to jointly produce GE 414 jet engines in India for the Tejas Mk2 light combat aircraft. The Defence Ministries of the two countries also launched the inaugural session of an innovation platform — INDUS-X — in Washington DC on June 21, hosted by the U.S. India Business Council, to foster defence industrial collaboration. U.S. semiconductor and chip maker Micron Technology, Inc also announced that it would invest up to $825 million in a new chip assembly and test facility in Gujarat, which would be bolstered by investment from the Indian and Gujarat governments, totalling $2.75 billion. In space cooperation, India is signing on to a framework of 25 countries for space exploration and cooperation. The two countries have agreed on a mission to the International Space Station in 2024. Moreover, the U.S. is also announcing a pilot programme to renew visas domestically — which means that applicants do not have to travel outside the U.S. to get their renewal stamps — for certain petition-based temporary workers. 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