PM Modi gets gyaan on global trends from US hawks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met representatives of several prominent American think-tanks on Monday -- his last engagement of the day -- to understand how they look at global trends and challenges and what India and the US can do together for the world.

"Had a wonderful interaction with leading think-tanks," the prime minister tweeted after his meeting with representatives of the think-tanks.

The thinks-tank that were represented at the meeting were Brookings Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, Center for American Progress, Atlantic Council, Hudson Institute, Center for National Interest, Global Energy Capital, Carnegie Endowment, Asia Group, Pew Research Center, the US Institute of Peace and Foundation for Defence of Democracies.

"The aim of the interaction was to understand from them, how they see global trends in the coming years, the challenges and what US and India could do together for the world, keeping in mind among the templates that the Prime Minister has articulated. What can US and India do together for the world... was really the theme," Indian Ambassador to the US Arun K Singh told reporters.

"Current global issues were discussed in the medium and longer term perspective. And we looked at opportunities and ways to be able to work together...in a way that would meet India's national interest and of course would be of interest to the US," Singh said and denied that this exercise was undertaken as part of perception management drive.

The Ambassador said the prime minister shared his thoughts at the end of the meeting.

Based on the feedback he receives from people and think- tanks in the US, Singh said there is a very very positive assessment of the reforms that have taken place in the last two years.

"And you have to just look at the facts that US equity investment in India is $12 billion today and FDI flows into India went up by 50 per cent. So if you just look at facts, you can see that there is a recognition of the tremendous amount of progress that has taken place in India in the last two years," he said.