PM Narendra Modi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel having a chat over tea at the Hannover trade fair in Germany on Monday
A chai pe chat and, sometime later, a joint statement with German Chancellor Angela Merkel brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Hannover trade fair in Germany to an end this morning. He has made a big pitch for his 'Make in India' agenda highlighting the country's potential as a manufacturing hub.
Here are the latest developments:
Making a joint statement with Ms Merkel, PM Modi said today, "In this Hannover fair, we saw our strengths and possibilities of ties between India and Germany. Indian companies will get a chance to see Germany's work culture and discipline. German companies will get to know the same about Indian companies."
Earlier this morning, the two leaders inaugurated the India pavilion at the world's largest trade fair. PM Modi said, "Demography, democracy and demand make India attractive to the world today."
The PM thanked Germany, which he is visiting for two days, for inviting India to be a partner at the fair and noted that over 400 Indian companies are participating. This year, 14 Indian states are participating at the fair, competing with each other to get investment.
The backdrop to the big stage at the India pavilion is the lion logo of the 'Make in India' campaign. That is the focus of the PM's visit and he said yesterday, "I want to thank you for allowing us to unleash our lions in this city... the lions are a symbol of new India," the PM said, referring to the 'Make in India' logo of a lion made of cogs to depict manufacturing.
As the PM pushed for foreign investment, top Indian industrialist Sanjay Kirloskar said it is important for the government to make clear that India is a "secular, tolerant nation." He said, "Most investors in foreign countries are Christians" and that he saw "a slight concern" among foreign investors about a series of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings recently in India.
The PM leaves in a while for Berlin where he will meet members of the Indian community in Germany. The grandnephew of Subhas Chandra Bose has said he will try to meet the Prime Minister at a dinner this evening, amid a row back in India over revelations that close relatives of the freedom fighter were spied upon.
On Sunday, as he had inaugurated the fair with Ms Merkel, PM Modi promised global investors all possible steps to make it easy to do business in India. At a roundtable, he also interacted with top German CEOs.
He has promised global investors a "predictable, stable and competitive" tax regime in India and said his government is "removing unnecessary regulations and simplifying our procedures" to make doing business in India easy.
German CEOs have shared feedback on doing business in India with the PM. Some German companies brought up land acquisition as a hurdle to investing in Indian projects. Executives from BMW told the Prime Minister that India's tax structure is problematic. Other companies talked about the problem of tight delivery timelines.
45 celebrity chefs from India served mango lassi to Ms Merkel and prepared Gujarati treats like khandvis, dhoklas and khakras for Mr Modi on Monday morning. The two leaders also shared a cup of tea. "Indian tea. What better than a cup of tea from @teaboardofindia to end visit to Indian Pavilion at @hannover_messe," tweeted external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin.
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