Modi underlines democracy's value, lays out India's progress

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met academics, policy analysts, health experts, economists and others in New York on Tuesday, he listened, seeking advice on what India needs to do to do better, how the relationship between India and the US can achieve greater momentum, and the latest intellectual trends in different policy domains.

He also projected India’s achievements while showing an awareness of its challenges.

Multiple people who met Modi in New York told HT that they were struck by his keenness to hear their views and came away impressed with his ability to distil the big picture in various domains as well as lay out India’s world view. The structure of the meetings largely revolved around brief remarks by the PM, him asking participants for their remarks, opinions, inputs and assessments about their domains and India, and then offering remarks. All meetings were held in Lotte New York Palace hotel on Madison Avenue in midtown Manhattan where the PM stayed on Tuesday.

Academia and policy

Modi met six people from the think tank community. They included Michael Froman, the president designate of the prestigious Council of Foreign Relations, Jeff Smith of Heritage Foundation, Elbridge Colby who drafted the 2018 US national defence strategy during the Donald Trump presidency, Daniel Russel of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Max Abrahms of Boston’s Northeastern University, and Guru Sowle of the Indus International Research Foundation.