Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit US West Coast in September

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi, who will be the first Indian PM to visit the US West Coast after several decades, would not only perform at yet another diaspora show on September 27 but will also try attracting investments and expertise for Digital India, innovation projects and clean energy initiatives with meetings lined up with top IT CEOs of Silicon Valley and startups besides possible visit to Google labs.

California in US West Coast is home to many successful NRIs across sectors, including IT, and Modi will try to woo them during his September 26-27 trip after attending UN sustainable summit in New York on September 25. He is expected to meet President Barack Obama on his return to New York on September 28.

Nearly 20,000 members of the Indian diaspora are expected to attend the community function at the SAP Centre in San Jose in California on September 27 evening, Vijay Chauthaiwale, chief of Bharatiya Janata Party’s foreign cell, told ETover phone.

Preparations are on in full swing for this show, second in the US after Modi addressed NRIs and PIOs last September at the Madison Square garden. As many as 40,000 have registered for the Silicon Valley event from which attendees will be chosen by a lottery. And for those who can't make it to the venue, big LED screens are being put up outside the venue, said people familiar with the matter. Several Indian community organisations have also registered for the September 27 event.

This diaspora event is free for individuals — it will be funded by donations from high networth individuals and corporates.

Other highlights of Modi's trip will be his meeting with top IT CEOs of Silicon Valley, eyeing their support for Digital India, one of his pet projects, officials informed. He will be seeking both FDI as well as expertise from IT sector honchos.

A meeting with IT startups run by Indians in the Silicon Valley is not ruled out. Modi will be the first Indian PM to visit the Bay Area after Pandit Nehru’s trip there in 1949.