Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (l) greet each other as Governor of Gujarat O.P. Kohli and Chief Minister Anandiben Patel look on at Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2015 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, Jan. 15, ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit to India later this month. (Press Trust of India)


U.S. President Barack Obama will have a tight schedule during his three-day India visit starting January 25. A Press Trust of India report.


President Barack Obama will hold talks with top Indian leadership in New Delhi on ways to make progress on key issues like defence and civil nuclear agreement and attend the Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest, among other engagements.

President Obama is the first U.S. President to be chief guest at the India 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, President Barack Obama 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 defense pacts. The two sides have already decided to renew for 10 years during a Summit meeting in September, last year, in Washington, a defense pact to start joint development and production of military hardware.

The visit is also expected to give 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.

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 licensing to facilitate the establishment of U.S.-designed nuclear power plants in India.

The two sides are also reportedly working on a proposal for an 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 President Obama’s visit.

After their meeting, PM Modi and President Obama will make press statements. The U.S. President will also attend the banquet in his honor by President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan, according to sources.

On the second day of the visit, President Obama will attend the Indian Republic Day parade and later, along with Prime Minister Modi, take part in Indo-U.S. CEO roundtable.