He will hold talks
with top leadership in New Delhi on ways to make progress on key issues such as
defence and civil nuclear agreement and attend the Republic Day celebrations as
the Chief Guest, among other engagements.
Mr. Obama, who will
be the first U.S. President to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade,
will be accompanied by his wife Michelle and a team of senior officials in his
administration.
On first day of his
visit, the American President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold comprehensive
talks on the entire gamut of bilateral ties and discuss ways to enhance
cooperation in key components, including civil nuclear and defence pacts.
The two sides have
already decided to renew for 10 years during a Summit meeting in September in
Washington to start joint development and production of military hardware.
The visit is also
expected to give a fillip to the seven-year-old civil nuclear deal as the
cooperation in the sector has been stalled over the tough provisions in the
Civil Nuclear Liability Act here.
During the September
meeting, the two leaders had decided to set up a high-level Contact Group on
civil nuclear cooperation.
The Group has already
held two rounds of detailed discussions on a range of implementation issues,
including administrative, liability, technical and licencing to facilitate the
establishment of US-designed nuclear power plants in India.
The two sides are
also reportedly working on a proposal for a insurance pool by the domestic
Indian companies to offset the financial burden of American entities as both
countries are keen to have a “concrete” deliverable in the area during Obama’s
visit.
After their meeting,
Mr. Modi and Mr. Obama will make press statements. The U.S. President will also
attend the banquet in his honour by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan, according to the information available here.
On second day of the
visit, Mr. Obama will attend the Republic Day parade and later, along with Mr.
Modi, will take part in a Indo-US CEO round table.
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