Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on his first state visit to the US, gifted a handcrafted sandalwood box to US President Joe Biden, and a lab-grown 7.5 carat green diamond to First Lady Jill Biden. The sandalwood box contains a silver idol of Lord Ganesha and a diya (oil lamp).
PM Modi was greeted with a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the Andrews Air Base. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden welcomed PM Modi to a White House decorated with peacocks and lotus blooms today, hosting a vegetarian dinner.
Later in the day, he will hold a series of meetings with another group of industry leaders and CEOs. Among those PM Modi will meet are Micron’s CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, GE chief H Lawrence Culp Jr and chief of Applied Materials Gary Dickerson — names that have raised speculation about big announcements on Thursday.
In the evening, he will address a joint-sitting of the US Congress. This will be his second address to a joint-sitting – a first for an Indian and a rare honour for world leaders.
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