US welcomes diaspora role in India's development: President Barack Obama

NEW YORK: President Barack Obama has said that the US welcomes the role of Indian-Americans sought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the development of India.

"Prime Minister Modi has called on the Indian diaspora in the United States which is very large and very successful to contribute their talents to India's progress. And that's something that we welcome," Obama said yesterday.

His remarks came after hour-long meeting with Modi at the UN headquarters here wherein the Prime Minister spoke about his weekend trip to Silicon Valley and how this would help the development of India.

"I was in Silicon Valley over the weekend. I experienced the strength of American innovation and enterprise that provide the foundation of American success.

"I also saw the driving force of our relationship - youth, technology and innovation - and the natural partnership of Indians and Americans in advancing human progress," Modi said.

Referring to his visit to California, Modi informed Obama about the conversations he had relating to startups, renewable energy and how the visit would probably lead to many new technology partnerships between India and US.

In this context he also referred to the Start Up Konnect event where 40 startups from India had come to basically benefit from the ecosystem that already exists in the Silicon Valley and how India would create a similar ecosystem where startups would eventually scale up to larger entities, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.