For Ivanka Trump Event, Hyderabad Over-Run With Applications To Attend

Hyderabad: A US-backed conference that President Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, is attending in Hyderabad this month has been flooded with applications amid deepening ties between India and the United States.

The three-day Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) begins on November 28; organisers say they can accommodate only 400 entrepreneurs from India and 800 from the United States and the rest of the world.

"Definitely, the response was much, much more than the 400. India has become a very important start-up destination," said Jayesh Ranjan, a government official in Hyderabad who is helping organise the event.

"Also, when she speaks as the head of the US delegation, in a way she would be communicating what is the official position of the US government about entrepreneurship, about start-ups," he said of Ivanka Trump.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will inaugurate the conference, told President Trump in a meeting in the Philippines yesterday that he looked forward to hosting the US delegation in Hyderabad, "showcasing innovation and collaboration between India and the United States".

GES was conceived by former US President Barack Obama. The theme of this year's conference is "Women First, Prosperity for All".

The IT hub of Hyderabad has banned begging in public places until January 7. On Friday, a senior police officer who asked not to be named told news agency AFP that the notification was part of the city's "routine anti-begging efforts" and should not be linked to Ivanka Trump's visit.

Hyderabad police commissioner M Mahendar Reddy issued an order that beggars should be taken off the streets because they cause "nuisance, obstruction to free movement (and) danger to vehicular traffic and pedestrians."

He said the city had set up a rehabilitation centre where the beggars could be housed until they were able to "lead normal lives".

"Authorities told ABC News that they want Trump and foreign delegates to see India's good side and not the "Slumdog Millionaire" stereotype commonly associated with the country", reported the Washington Post.

India is already a major market for the United States, with bilateral trade at about $115 billion last year. They aim to raise that to $500 billion by 2022.

Military and strategic ties are also improving amid rising Chinese influence in Asia and beyond.