Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with Kuwaiti leadership in Kuwait City today.
PM Modi will be accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Bayan Palace following which he will be holding separate meetings with the Emir of Kuwait and the crown Prince of Kuwait.
PM Modi will also hold delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister of Kuwait. Mr Modi arrived in Kuwait on a two-day visit to the West Asian nation, marking the first trip by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years. He is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Yesterday, Mr Modi addressed a massive gathering of Indian diaspora at a special ‘Hala Modi’ event in Kuwait City. He lauded the hard work, achievement and contribution of the Indian community to the development of Kuwait and fostering India-Kuwait ties.
Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to diaspora members to participate in Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and Maha Kumbh Mela events to be held next month. Mr. Modi outlined India’s approach as a ‘Vishwabandhu’ (a friend to the world) and elaborated upon the country’s rapid progress and transformation, especially in the fields of technology, infrastructure and sustainability. He said, India has the potential to become the world’s skill capital and to achieve this, India is aligning its skill development programmes with global needs.
PM Modi also interacted with a cross-section of Indian workers during his visit to a labour camp in Mina Abdullah area of Kuwait. The labour camp has a workforce of around 1,500 Indian nationals hailing from different states of India. During the interaction, Prime Minister enquired about the well-being of Indian workers and discussed various welfare schemes initiated by the Indian government over the past 10 years.
In a statement, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said, Mr Modi’s visit to the labour camp symbolises the importance Prime Minister attaches to the welfare of Indian workers abroad. In the last few years, the government has undertaken several technology-based initiatives such as E-Migrate portal, MADAD portal and upgraded Pravasi Bharatiya Bima Yojana for the welfare of Indian workers abroad.
PM Modi also met 101-year-old Mangal Sain Handa, a former Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, who now resides in Kuwait and had served in Kuwait, UK, Iraq, China, Argentina, and Cambodia before retiring about four decades ago.
Prime Minister also attended the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as the chief guest at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium. Mr Modi joined the Emir, the Crown Prince, and the Prime Minister of Kuwait in witnessing the grand opening ceremony. In a press release, Ministry of External Affairs said, the event also provided an opportunity for an informal interaction of the prime minister with the leadership of Kuwait.
