Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron took a boat ride on the river Ganga in Varanasi on Monday. The short river trip started from Assi Ghat and ended at the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat of this eastern city in Uttar Pradesh.

The two leaders were seen boarding a two-deck boat which was especially decorated for the visit. PM Modi was seen speaking to Macron as they scanned the historic buildings on the ghats along the route.

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Before the trip, Macron and PM Modi visited a Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hastkala Sankul at Bada Lalpur in the city.

They were welcomed to the centre to the traditional music of the Shehnai, which the French President appeared to enjoy.

The leaders saw artisans and weavers displaying their skills at the trade facilitation centre for handicrafts. A song-and-dance performance on the theme of Ramayana was held for the leaders.

Earlier today, the Indian Prime Minister and the French President inaugurated a 100 MW Solar Power Plant on the Vindhya mountain region in Dadar Kala village at Mirzapur.

Both Modi and Macron unveiled the inaugural plaque in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Anupriya Patel, and French First Lady Brigitte Macron, besides others.

Solar energy production is high on the agenda of the two countries, which on Sunday co-chaired the first summit of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at New Delhi. The historic Summit was attended by heads of 23 countries.

In his speech at the Summit, PM Modi said that 61 of the 121 countries expected to be a part of the alliance have already joined and 32 nations have ratified the framework agreement.

One of the key objectives of the Modi government is to generate 100 Gigawatt of electricity in India through solar power by 2022.

Macron, who arrived on Saturday night, is on a four-day visit to India. This is his first State visit to India. Deviating from protocol, the PM had personally received Macron at the airport.