Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington after the International Day of Yoga event in New York and was hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for a private dinner at the White House.

The prime minister tweeted: “I thank @POTUS @JoeBiden and @FLOTUS @DrBiden for hosting me at the White House today. We had a great conversation on several subjects.”

He met the US President’s immediate family members. “The prime minister’s participation in this special engagement reaffirms the warm friendship between our two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday morning.

The US president and the first lady welcomed Modi to a White House decorated with peacocks and lotus blooms, where they hosted a vegetarian dinner. According to the White House, the Prime Minister, the US President and the First Lady enjoyed a musical tribute to the regions of India.

On arrival in Washington, Modi was greeted with a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the Andrews Air Base.

The national anthems of both countries were played. Modi tweeted: “Reached Washington DC. The warmth of the Indian community and the blessings of Indra Devta made the arrival even more special.”

Later, the prime minister and the first lady of the USA participated in an event focused on “India and USA: Skilling for Future” at National Science Centre in Washington DC.

Modi tweeted: “Honoured that @FLOTUS @DrBiden joined us in a special event relating to skill development. Skilling is a top priority for India and we are dedicated to creating a proficient workforce that can boost enterprise and value creation.”

The event focused on workforce redevelopment across higher education institutions to expand and enhance access to quality education across society.

Modi highlighted the numerous steps taken by India to promote education, skilling and innovation. He appreciated on-going bilateral academic exchanges, and collaborations between Indian and US academic and research ecosystems.

The prime minister presented five-point proposals for energising India-USA collaboration in education and research sector.

These included an integrated approach bringing together government, industry and academia, encouraging exchange of teachers & students, organising Hackathons on various subjects between the two countries, mutual recognition of vocational skills qualifications, encouraging visits of people associated with education and research.

The event was attended by the President of Northern Virginia Community College, the President of Association of American Universities, and the President and CEO of Micron Technology, and students.

The prime minister met Gary E Dickerson, President and CEO of Applied Materials late 21st June in Washington DC.

Modi invited Applied Materials for contributing in strengthening the semiconductor ecosystem in India. He also invited Applied Materials for development of process technology and advanced packaging capabilities in India.

Modi and Dickerson discussed potential of Applied Materials’ collaboration with academic institutions in India to create skilled workforce.

The prime minister had discussed semiconductors again with Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron on 21 June in Washington DC. Modi invited Micron Technology to boost semiconductor manufacturing in India. He noted that India can provide competitive advantages in various parts of the semiconductor supply chain.

The prime minister met H Lawrence Culp Jr., CEO of General Electric. Modi appreciated GE for its long-term commitment of manufacturing in India. He and Culp Jr. discussed GE’s greater technology collaboration to promote manufacturing in India. Modi invited GE to play a greater role in aviation and renewable energy sector in India.