As India and the US brace themselves for the massive ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event to be held in Houston on September 22, a Business Standard report has revealed that PM Modi is going to meet a number of US business companies executives during his US visit. He is going to meet 61 top executives of some of the biggest corporate groups in the US. PM Modi would meet 16 such top executives, mostly consisting of those representing energy giants, including ExxonMobil, Perot Group, Baker Hughes, BP, Cheniere Energy and Dominion Energy, among others, in Houston on Saturday- the day on which the “Howdy, Modi!” event would also be held in Houston, Texas. He would also meet top executives of 45 US companies on September 25. PM Modi will hold a round table with the 45 top executives, representing some of the biggest corporate giants across the world, including Microsoft, Google, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Mastercard, Visa, Amway, JP Morgan, Bank of America and Walmart.
PM Modi’s meeting with the top executives of such corporate giants ought to be seen as a massive push for investments and an attempt to ensure that the Indian economy picks up in a big way. This looks that much more probable given the announcement of corporate tax rates cut yesterday, which is going to propel India into becoming one of the most investor-friendly economies. With the massive tax break announced by the government on Friday, PM Modi would be able to push his investment agenda more effectively.
PM Modi’s US visit has generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm because of a series of big events that are going to follow. The ‘Howdy Modi!’ event becoming the centre of attention during his visit. As per estimates, he would be addressing 50,000 members of the Indian diaspora. What makes it even bigger is the fact that US President Trump would also attend the big event. It is being seen as a massive show of bond shared by the two leaders. Speaking about the joint appearance, Trump said, “He (Modi) has got a big crowd coming and I guess the crowd just got a lot bigger because they just announced — he asked, would I go, and I will go.” Moreover, several lawmakers- representing both Democratic and Republican parties will also attend the “Howdy Modi!” event. PM Modi is also expected to have a separate interactive session with the members of the US Congress before he leaves for New York.
Stressing upon the importance of the “Howdy Modi!” event, the Democratic presidential aspirant, Tulsi Gabbard has stated that the event would bring together the Hindu Americans and Indo-Americans from across the United States. She said, “I’m very happy to see that ‘Howdy, Modi’ is bringing together Indian-Americans and Hindu Americans from across our country, including many of my colleagues in the US Congress.” The organisers of the ” Howdy Modi!” event have also highlighted how the event is a sign of growing influence of Indo-Americans and their contribution to the US. Therefore, the Indo-Americans and Hindu Americans are enthused ahead of the big event.
Multilateral events are also lined up during PM Modi’s US visit. He will attend the UN General Assembly and will also have bilateral meetings with 20 other leaders. PM Modi would also meet President Trump for a second time. He would also attend the Climate Summit which would be organised by UN Secretary General Antonio Guetteres. Apart from this, there will be a leadership summit on strategic responses to terror and violent extremist narratives.
The sheer enthusiasm with which PM Modi’s visit is being followed both in India and the US goes on to show the kind of popularity he enjoys. With PM Modi meeting a number of top corporate executives, we can expect a slew of investments following his landmark visit to the US.