Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday.
After addressing over 50,000 members of the Indian diaspora in Texas at the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Climate Action Summit hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the UN General Assembly chamber.
Signalling that water management would be its priority, PM Modi said India would spend $50 billion on water conservation in the next few years. “India will increase the share of non-fossil fuel, will increase renewable energy capacity to beyond 175 GW by 2022 and take it to 400 GW,” PM Modi said.
Later in the day, PM Modi is to address the first-ever high-level meeting on universal health coverage, which will launch new efforts to provide access for all to affordable, inclusive and resilient health systems.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address the ‘Leaders’ Dialogue on Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives’, organised by a group of countries, along with the UN Secretariat, which deals with the Office of Counter-terrorism.
President Donald Trump arrives to speak at the "Howdy Modi: Shared Dreams, Bright Futures" event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at NRG Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Opinion: At the Houston spectacle on Sunday that bought together an enthusiastic Indian diaspora, the personal chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump was all too evident. But the celebrations at Texas must yield tangible outcomes at New York where the two leaders are set to meet again today on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly’s annual session. Read more here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Leader's Dialogue on Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives, at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Trump said he is "ready, willing and able'' to mediate in the Kashmir issue "if both (India and Pakistan) want it." "It is a complex issue. It is being going on for a long time. But if both want it, I will be ready to do it," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a series of bilateral meetings, including with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Colombian President Ivan Marquez and Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session here.
Modi arrived here Sunday night to participate in the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly after delivering an electrifying address in Houston to over 50,000 members of the Indian diaspora at a mega community event also addressed by President Donald Trump.
On the sidelines of the UN session, Modi interacted with German Chancellor Merkel, Colombian President Marquez, Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering and the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
US President Donald Trump made an "unexpected" visit to the UN Climate Action Summit, where he stayed for about 15 minutes. Although he didn't speak at the summit, he listened to addresses of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel before leaving.
Addressing the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said India would spend $50 billion in the next few years on water conservation besides pledging to more than double India’s non-fossil fuel target to 400 gigawatts. Read more
"India is launching a coalition for disaster resiliant structure. This year, on August 15, we called a peoples' movement to end use of single-use plastic. Tomorrow we will inaugurate solar panels installed by India on the roof of the United Nations," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he ends his address at the Climate Action Summit
"We are encouraging e-mobility in our transport sector. We have given clean gas connection to 115 million families. We have also started Jal Jeevan mission for water resource development, water conservation and rain water harvesting": PM Modi
"I thank UN Secretary-General for organising the Global Action Summit. Various efforts are being made to fight climate change. What is needed today is everything from education, values to lifestyle and behavioural change," says PM Modi at the Climate Action Summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the Climate Action Summit at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
"New Zealand will play its part in the global change," says Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister while addressing the Climate Action Summit
"Thank you for drawing the attention of all heads of states to the climate change. Climate change is one of the principle challenges that we have to face. With the Paris Agreement of December 12, 2015, the international community became aware of responsibility for climate change," says Pope Francis in his special message to the Climate Action Summit.
"People are suffering and dying. Entire ecosystem is collapsing. And all you are talking about is money and fairytales," 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg breaks down while speaking on climate change at the Climate Action Summit.
"It is our obligation to do everything to stop the climate warming before it stops us. Let us lace up our running shoes and join the climate race for us all": UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
"This is not a climate talk summit. This is not a climate negotiate summit. This is a Climate Action Summit," says UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the UN headquarters to attend the Climate Action Summit
"The political declaration on #HealthForAll has just been approved by acclamation," tweets UNGA President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande
"Universal health coverage means ensuring all people have access to the quality health services they need - when & where they need them," tweets United Nations.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi championed his government’s decision to scrap Kashmir’s special status at his US event, Iltija Mufti, daughter of former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, said it was “ironic” that a move taken to secure the interests of J&K gets “cheered everywhere except the state it is meant to benefit”. “Ironic that a move ostensibly taken to secure “special interests” of J&K gets cheered on everywhere except in the state that’s it meant to benefit,” Iltija, who has been using her mother’s Twitter account said in a tweet. Read more
Top BJP leaders Monday hailed the 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston's NRG Stadium as "unprecedented" and "history in the making". Home Minister Amit Shah, while praising the event, tweeted, "A historic day in world politics! Leaders of the two most powerful democracies shared their ideas & dreams for a prosperous world together in a way that one has never seen before. #HowdyModi was unprecedented. It has left an indelible footprint of a stronger India on world map." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the event in Houston has reignited shared Indian-American dreams and their bright futures. "The oldest and largest democracies joined hands today giving us hope and a promising future. It was history in the making," he said. (PTI)
In a video tweeted out by the Prime Minister’s office, Modi is seen addressing Cornyn’s wife Sandy, and saying, “I would like to say sorry because today is your birthday and your great life partner is with me so naturally, you must be jealous today.” The video also shows him wishing her a prosperous and peaceful future ahead, while her 67-year-old husband smiles standing next to Modi. Read more
On the completion of one year of the Ayushman Bharat scheme today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and said that the scheme is a "beacon of hope".
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin has said that the country's engagement and outreach at the 74th UN General Assembly will be unprecedented and will result in concrete, tangible, action-oriented outcomes. A total of over 75 Heads of State and foreign ministers will be meeting with Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan during the week across various platforms.
Hailing the impressive show of unity between India and the US at the mega "Howdy Modi!" event in Houston, Nikki Haley, former Indian-American US ambassador to the UN, said that the "great" partnership between the two countries has only strengthened.
Haley, who was the first-ever Indian-American to have served any presidential Cabinet, in a tweet on Sunday praised the partnership between India and the US. "The US and India have a great partnership and it has only strengthened with the friendship of @realDonaldTrump and @narendramodi," she said. She also re-tweeted President Trump's tweet, "The USA loves India!" (PTI)
Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed Donald Trump for the second term as US President, Congress accused him of violating India’s foreign policy of not interfering in the domestic elections of another country.
In a series of tweets, Congress senior spokesperson Anand Sharma said Modi was in the US as India’s prime minister and not a star campaigner in the US elections. “Mr Prime Minister, you have violated the time-honoured principle of Indian foreign policy of not interfering in the domestic elections of another country. This is a singular disservice to the long-term strategic interests of India,” Sharma said on Twitter after the Howdy Modi event in Texas on Sunday night.
As the Indian community in the US came out in full force to cheer for the Howdy Modi event at the NRG Stadium on Sunday morning, a relatively smaller group also protested against the event. The group comprised of activists Sunita Viswanath from Hindus for Human Rights, Ashton P Woods, co-founder of Black Lives Matter in Houston and Syed Ali of the Indian American Muslim Council, among others.
“We are horrified that our religion, which teaches Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, is being hijacked by extremists and nationalists who are lynching Muslims, trampling democracy and law and order and arresting, if not murdering, those who are speaking out,” Viswanath said.
“We are especially appalled by the most recent nightmare of the Kashmiri people and the situation of 1.9 million people in India who are rendered stateless due to the imposition of the travesty called the National Register of Citizens,” she said.
Members of the Indian diaspora greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival at a hotel in New York
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday apologised to Senator John Cornyn’s wife as the US lawmaker was busy attending “Howdy Modi!” on her birthday.
In a video tweeted out by the Prime Minister’s office, Modi is seen addressing Cornyn’s wife Sandy, and saying, “I would like to say sorry because today is your birthday and your great life partner is with me so naturally, you must be jealous today.” The video also shows him wishing her a prosperous and peaceful future ahead, while her 67-year-old husband smiles standing next to Modi.
Amid protests from Opposition parties against alleged Hindi imposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke in as many as eight languages, highlighting the rich cultural diversity of India during his address at the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Houston.
Modi, meanwhile, said that the event was called “Howdy Modi”, and then said his reply was “Everything is fine”. He went to say those words in at least six regional Indian languages. “Unity in diversity is our speciality, the foundation of our vibrant democracy… it is our strength, our inspiration,” he said.
From Bengali to Tamil, the Prime Minister spoke in eight regional languages repeating that “everything is fine” in India.
With Donald Trump by his side, PM Modi highlighted India's democratic achievements and said that it was historic that a government returned with an even bigger majority after 60 years
In a veiled attack at Pakistan’s efforts to rake the Kashmir issue at international forums, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Centre’s decision to abrogate Article 370 “has troubled some people who cannot handle their country and who support terrorism”.
“India’s decision on Article 370 has troubled some people, who can’t handle their country, who support terrorism. It is a breeding ground for terrorism. Be it 9/11 attack in USA or 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, the perpetrators of the acts have been found in that one country,” the Prime Minister told the crowd.
PM Modi arrived at the J F K International Airport after 10 pm Sunday night and has a packed bilateral and multi-lateral agenda over the next five days, including nine key speeches at high-level summits and plurilateral engagements during the UN General Assembly session and on its sidelines.
The annual United Nations General Assembly will unfold this week against a backdrop of crises — from the warming planet to economic uncertainty to flaring conflicts that threaten to further entangle the United States in the volatile Middle East. Pakistan is also expected to raise the Kashmir issue. Here's what to expect at the UNGA this week. Read more
Welcome to The Indian Express' live blog on Prime Minister Modi's visit to the US. Events lined up today include a climate summit, a summit on strategic responses to terrorism and another on universal health coverage. Follow this space for the latest developments