MODI MEETS PARADE OF INTELLECTUALS

New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met intellectuals, business leaders and health experts, making a pitch for investments in India and discussing a range of subjects from economic development and space exploration to Buddhism and the “scientific temperament” on the first day of his visit to the US.

At his meeting with hedge fund founder, investor and author Ray Dalio, Modi “highlighted reforms undertaken by the government to foster economic growth, including reduction of compliances and decriminalisation of large number of legal provisions”, and invited him to invest in India, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Modi’s meeting with Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Romer touched on “India’s digital journey”, including the use of the biometric identification system Aadhaar and Digilocker, which enables universal paperless access to government documents, according to Bagchi.

With Neil deGrasse Tyson, the astrophysicist who popularises science, Modi discussed “inculcating scientific temperament among youth” & India’s space exploration missions”, Bagchi tweeted.

Modi & Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman spoke about “how Buddhist values can act as guiding light for finding solutions to global challenges” and India’s efforts to preserve that religion’s heritage, according to Bagchi.

Modi tweeted that he admires “his passion towards research and scholarship” on Buddhism.
The PM met with the Grammy-winning musician Falguni Shah, better known as Falu Shah whose song, “Abundance in Millets” raises awareness of healthy and environment-friendly millets, Bagchi tweeted.