From CEOs roundtable to Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative, here's a quick recap of Modi's US visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a 3-day state visit to the United States, on the back of the Quad Leaders’ Summit. From meeting global tech CEOs at MIT to announcing additional outlay for the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative, this year's US visit of the Prime Minister saw key announcements in the health and logistics sector and the setting up of new consulates in the US for improved connection with the Indian diaspora.

Tech CEOs Roundtable at MIT

Modi met with technology leaders in New York during a roundtable hosted by MIT, focusing on AI, quantum technologies, biotechnology, computing, and semiconductors yesterday. He urged collaboration and innovation through co-development and production in India. Modi also discussed the BIO E3 policy for biotech growth. The CEOs expressed strong interest in investing in India and collaborating on new technologies, particularly through startups. The CEO’s roundtable was attended by 15 tech CEOs including Adobe’s President Shantanu Narayen, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, and NVIDIA’s CEO Jensen Huang.

US to return 297 stolen or trafficked antiquities to India

Under the US-India Cultural Property Agreement signed in July 2024, the US is facilitating the return of 297 antiquities, spanning nearly 4000 years, stolen or trafficked from India. Notable items included a bronze Jain Tirthankar from Central India (15-16th century CE) and a bronze Lord Krishna from South India (17-18th century CE).

“The total number of cultural artefacts returned from the US to India since 2016 stands at 578. This is the maximum number of cultural artefacts returned by any country to India,” read the official press release from PMO, India.

First MAITRI workshop to be hosted in India in 2025

At the Quad Leaders’ Summit held in Wilmington, Delaware, leaders from the United States, Australia, Japan, and India announced several key initiatives including the introduction of MAITRI (Maritime Initiative for Training in the Indo-Pacific), which will enhance regional partners’ capabilities to monitor and protect their waters. The Quad has also launched a pilot project focused on shared airlift capacity to improve disaster response and has announced a Memorandum of Cooperation between their export credit agencies to support critical infrastructure and supply chain resilience in the region.

Additionally, the Quad partners committed to strengthening undersea cable connectivity in Pacific Island nations by 2025 and announced the BioExplore Initiative to harness AI for biological research. The summit also highlighted renewable energy investments, with India leading new solar projects and the U.S. offering loans to expand solar cell and module manufacturing in India.

Serum Institute of India to support procurement of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses

At the leaders’ meeting, the Quad Cancer Moonshot initiative was also launched, focusing initially on reducing cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific. The initiative aims to improve cancer care infrastructure, expand research collaborations, build data systems, and enhance prevention, detection, and treatment capabilities across the region.

India will share expertise in digital health through its National Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) portal, contributing $10 million to the WHO-led Global Initiative on Digital Health. This includes technical support for cancer screening and care data systems in the Indo-Pacific. Further, India plans to commit $7.5 million worth of HPV sampling kits, detection tools, and vaccines to strengthen cervical cancer prevention efforts in the region. In partnership with Gavi, the Serum Institute of India will also support the procurement of up to 40 million HPV vaccine doses for the Indo-Pacific region, for addressing the cervical cancer burden in underserved areas.

The US, in coordination with Quad partners, is pledging over $84.5 million to assist 14 Indo-Pacific nations in enhancing their ability to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious diseases. Additionally, Quad partners will provide $4 million in humanitarian aid to Vietnam following the devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi.

Clean Energy agreement under the IPEF

In September 2024, India signed three significant agreements under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), focusing on the Clean Economy, Fair Economy, and overarching cooperation. The Clean Economy Agreement aims to promote clean energy development and focuses on project financing, particularly for MSMEs, paving the way for investments in renewable energy, e-mobility, and efficient cooling technologies, boosting India's green economy and fostering a resilient clean energy supply chain.

Additionally, the Fair Economy Agreement seeks to create a transparent trade and investment environment across the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on combating corruption and improving tax transparency.

Setting up new consulates in Boston and LA

During his address in New York on September 22, Prime Minister Modi announced the establishment of two new Indian consulates in Boston and Los Angeles. This initiative aims to strengthen ties between India and its diaspora in the United States.

“Last year, I announced that our government would open a new Consulate in Seattle, which has become operational. I am pleased to inform you that, based on your feedback, Bharat has decided to open two new consulates in Boston and Los Angeles,” Modi said.

“I am also delighted to announce the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar Chair for Tamil Studies at the University of Houston. This will further help propagate the philosophy of the great Tamil saint Thiruvalluvar to the world,” he added.

“In just one decade, Bharat has risen from the 10th to the 5th largest economy. Now every Indian wants Bharat to quickly become the third-largest economy. Every citizen, whether from a village or a city, wants world-class facilities,” Modi said during his Sunday address at Nassau Coliseum.

“In 2014, only 5 cities in Bharat had metro services; today, 23 cities have metros. Bharat now has the second-largest metro network in the world. In 2014, only 70 cities in Bharat had airports; today, more than 140 cities have airports. Bharat no longer waits for opportunities; Bharat creates opportunities,” he added.