Prime Minister Narendra Modi met a galaxy of prominent US personalities hailing from diverse fields of health sector, Nobel laureate economist Paul Romer, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, academics, think-tank experts and others in New York on Tuesday (local time) and held discussions with them.
As part of his series of meetings in New York, the prime minister met a group of leading US experts from the health sector. Modi and the experts discussed various matters pertaining to the domain of health including use of digital technologies for quality healthcare, greater focus on integrative medicine & better healthcare preparedness.
The experts who participated in the interaction were Dr. Peter Hotez, Founding Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Texas, Dr. Sunil A. David, CEO of ViroVax based in Texas, Dr. Stephen Klasko, Advisor to General Catalyst, Dr. Lawton R. Burns, Professor of Healthcare Management, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Vivian S. Lee, Founding President, Verily Life Sciences and Dr. Peter Agre, Physician, Nobel laureate and molecular biologist, at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Modi also met Nobel laureate Prof Paul Romer, American economist and policy entrepreneur. The Prime Minister and Prof Romer held discussions on India’s digital journey, including the use of Aadhar and innovative tools like Digilocker. They also discussed various initiatives being undertaken by India for urban development.
He also met Elon Musk, tech pioneer, business magnate and CEO of Tesla Inc & SpaceX; owner, CTO and chairman of Twitter; founder of the Boring company and X-corp; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI.
Modi appreciated Musk’s efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. The Prime Minister invited Musk to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and the rapidly expanding commercial space sector.
Modi also met a group of eminent US academics. The academics hailed from diverse fields of agriculture, marketing, engineering, health, science & technology. They discussed possibilities of enhancing research collaborations and two-way academic exchanges under India’s New Education Policy. Academics shared perspectives and experiences from their respective areas of expertise with the prime minister.
The details of academics who participated in the interaction were Chandrika Tandon, Chair of the Board, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Dr. Neeli Bendapudi, President of Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor, University of California, San Diego, Dr. Satish Tripathi, President of the University at Buffalo, Professor Jagmohan Raju, Professor of Marketing, Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Madhav V. Rajan, Dean, Booth School of Business, University of Chicago, Professor Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science; Director, CFAES Rattan Lal Centre for Carbon Management and Sequestration, Ohio State University and Dr. Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University & Faculty Fellow and Lead for Technology Innovation & Impact at Center for Innovation & Global Health, Stanford University.
Modi also met experts from several leading US think-tanks. The Prime Minister and the experts discussed a range of developmental and geo-political issues. The Prime Minister invited them to enhance their presence in India as it embarks on its transformation during the Amritkaal.
The various think-tank experts who participated in the interaction includes Michael Froman, President-designate and Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), New York, Daniel Russel, Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, New York, Dr. Max Abrahms, Associate Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, Boston, Jeff M Smith, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation, DC, Elbridge Colby, Co-founder of ‘The Marathon Initiative’, based in Washington DC and Guru Sowle, Founder-member, Director (Indo-US Affairs), Indus International Research Foundation, Texas.
Modi also met Neil de Grasse Tyson, leading American astrophysicist, author and science communicator.
The prime minister and Tyson exchanged views on inculcating scientific temperament among youth. They discussed at length India’s rapid progress in the space sector including various space exploration missions being undertaken by India.
The prime minister and Tyson also discussed opportunities for private sector and academic collaboration under India’s newly launched National Space Policy.
Modi also met Ray Dalio, American investor, author and co-founder of the hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates.
In his conversation with Dalio, the Prime Minister highlighted the reforms undertaken by the government to foster economic growth, including reduction of compliances and decriminalisation of a large number of legal provisions. The Prime Minister invited Dalio for further investing in India.
The prime minister also met distinguished American mathematical statistician, academician, public intellectual and author, Prof Nicholas Taleb.
Modi complemented Prof Taleb on his success as a public intellectual and for bringing complex ideas of risk and fragility into popular conversation.
In his conversation with Prof Taleb, the prime minister also highlighted risk-taking abilities of India’s young entrepreneurs and growing start-up ecosystem in India.
Modi also met Ms Falguni Shah, Indian American singer, composer and Grammy award winner.
The prime minister lauded Shah for her song ‘Abundance in Millets’ that raises awareness regarding healthy and environment friendly millets. The Prime Minister also appreciated her for bringing the people of India and the US together through her music.