PM meets Kapoor family, shares his admiration for Raj Kapoor’s lasting influence on Indian cinema
The Prime Minister recalled an incident involving veteran BJP leader LK Advani and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday described Air India’s deal to buy 250 aircraft from France’s Airbus as historic and expressed confidence that India will emerge as the third-largest global market in the aviation sector in coming years.
Addressing a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the agreement, Modi said civil aviation is playing an instrumental role in the growth of the country.
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He said the Indian aviation sector will need more than 2,000 aircraft in the next 15 years. The Air India-Airbus deal shows strengthening of strategic partnership between India and France, he said. The deal will help in fulfilling the growing demands of the aircraft.
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The Prime Minister said new opportunities are emerging in the aerospace manufacturing sector under the vision of Make in India and Make for the World. He said India can become a Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO) hub for the aviation sector.
On India-France relationship, the Prime Minister said both countries are significantly contributing on various issues including security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, global food and health security.
He said India and France partnership is playing an instrumental role in ensuring stability and balance of international order and multilateral system.
Highlighting the initiatives taken under the Regional Connectivity Scheme-UDAN, the Prime Minister said the number of airports in the country has increased from 74 to 147 in the last eight years. He said remote parts of the country are being connected through air connectivity which helped in socio-economic development.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated India for offering an opportunity for the strategic partnership in the aerospace sector. He said his country’s companies are fully dedicated to developing new areas of cooperation. France has achieved so much with India in various sectors including space, cyber, defence and energy transition.
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