US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is in India on an official visit, arrived at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence on Wednesday and participated in the Holi celebration.

While talking to ANI, Raimondo expressed happiness for joining people in the Holi celebration and said, “It’s an honour for me to be here on such a holiday. I felt so welcomed by the Minister, it’s fantastic. Happy Holi!” At Rajnath Singh’s residence, apart from Raimondo, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari were also present.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present on the occasion.

The US Secretary of Commerce was seen dancing and beating the drum.

Earlier in the day, the minister also extended greetings on the occasion on Twitter.

“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the occasion of Holi. A symbol of joy, gaiety and harmony, may this festival fill your life with new colours of success, happiness and good health,” Rajnath Singh said in the tweet.

Raimondo, who is on a 4-day visit to India, will participate in the Indo-US Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum which will be held on March 10 2023.

“During the visit, the US-India Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum will be held on March 10th, 2023, to discuss cooperation in various sectors that could unlock new trade and investment opportunities between the two countries,” according to the statement released by the US Department of Commerce.

“Through the CEO Forum, the Commercial Dialogue, and IPEF, we are making excellent progress in bringing our countries closer together by creating new markets for trade, expanding those that already exist, and reinforcing our shared commitment to democracy,” Raimondo said, ahead of her visit to India, in a statement.

The Commercial Dialogue is a cooperative undertaking encompassing regular government-to-government meetings to be held in conjunction with private sector meetings, with an aim to facilitate trade and maximize investment opportunities across a broad range of economic sectors.

The last India-USA Commercial Dialogue was held in February 2019. Since then, due to the pandemic and other factors, it could not be held. It is proposed to re-launch the Commercial Dialogue with a strategic outlook focusing on supply chain resiliency & diversification and new emerging areas, after a gap of three years.

Earlier, India-US CEO Forum was soft-launched by the Indian Commerce & Industry Minister and US Secretary of Commerce on 9th November 2022 via video conference for which identified key priorities were increasing supply chain resilience, enhancing energy security and reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, advancing inclusive digital trade and facilitating post-pandemic economic recovery, especially for small businesses.