US President Joe Biden commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his historic visit to Ukraine and his message of peace amid the war with Russia. The US also backed permanent membership for India in the UN Security Council.

Here Are Some Of The Key Takeaways From The Bilateral Meet

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Boost For India-US Ties

The Prime Minister met the US president at his home in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed his appreciation for President Biden’s unparalleled contributions in giving impetus to the India-US partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said. Recalling his earlier visit to the US last year and President Biden’s India trip for the G20 summit, the Prime Minister noted that visits have led to greater dynamism and depth in the India-US partnership.

The Prime Minister emphasised that India and the US now enjoy a comprehensive global strategic partnership that covers all areas of human endeavour, driven by shared democratic values, convergence of interests and vibrant people-to-people ties, the MEA said. It added that the two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest and exchanged views on global and regional issues, including the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

India’s Global Role

President Biden expressed appreciation for India’s leadership on the world stage, particularly Prime Minister Modi’s leadership in the G20 and the Global South, a White House statement said. The US President also praised the Prime Minister’s commitment to strengthen the Quad to ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“India is at the forefront of efforts to seek solutions to the most pressing challenges, from supporting the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic to addressing the devastating consequences of conflicts around the world,” the White House said.

President Biden, it said, commended Prime Minister Modi for his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in decades, and his message of peace and ongoing humanitarian support for Ukraine. The statement was silent on the Prime Minister’s visit to Russia.

President Biden told Prime Minister Modi that the US supports initiatives to reform global institutions to “reflect India’s important voice”. The US also backed permanent membership for India in a reformed UN Security Council.

Space To Semiconductors

The White House has said that the two leaders cheered the success of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in deepening and expanding strategic cooperation across key technology sectors, including space, semiconductors, and advanced telecommunications.

“Both Leaders committed to enhance regular engagements to improve the momentum of collaboration in fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum, biotechnology, and clean energy. They highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with like-minded partners, including through the Quad and a U.S.-India-ROK Trilateral Technology initiative launched earlier this year to build more secure and resilient supply chains for critical industries and ensure we collectively remain at the leading edge of innovation,” the statement said. The leaders, it said, also endorsed new mechanisms for deeper cyberspace cooperation through the bilateral cybersecurity dialogue.

“President Biden and Prime Minister Modi hailed a watershed arrangement to establish a new semiconductor fabrication plant focused on advanced sensing, communication, and power electronics for national security, next generation telecommunications, and green energy applications,” the White House said, adding that the two leaders praised combined efforts to facilitate resilient, secure, and sustainable semiconductor supply chains.

In the space technology sector, the two leaders welcomed the progress towards the first joint effort by NASA and ISRO to conduct scientific research onboard the International Space Station in 2025.

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Impetus To Defence Ties

The US president welcomed the progress in India completing the procurement of 31 General Atomics MQ-9B (16 Sky Guardian and 15 Sea Guardian) remotely piloted aircraft and their associated equipment, the White House said, adding that these will enhance the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of India’s armed forces.

The two leaders recognised the progress under the US-India Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, including ongoing collaboration to advance priority co-production arrangements for jet engines, munitions, and ground mobility systems. Prime Minister Modi and President Biden also welcomed efforts to expand defence industrial partnerships.

“President Biden welcomed India’s decision to set a uniform Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 5 per cent on the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector, including on all aircraft and aircraft engine parts thereby simplifying the tax structure and paving the way for building a strong ecosystem for MRO services in India. The Leaders also encouraged the industry to foster collaboration and drive innovation to support India’s efforts to become a leading aviation hub,” the White House said.

“The Leaders hailed the teaming agreement on the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft recently signed between Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems Limited, the two companies that co-chair the U.S.-India CEO Forum. Building on longstanding industry cooperation, this agreement will establish a new Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support the readiness of the Indian fleet and global partners who operate the C-130 Super Hercules aircraft,” it said, adding that this marks a significant step in US-India cooperation in the defence and aerospace sector.

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Clean Energy

Prime Minister Modi and President Biden welcomed the joint efforts to accelerate the expansion of safe and secure clean energy supply chains through US and Indian manufacturing of clean energy technologies and components. “In its initial phase, the U.S. and India would work together to unlock $1 billion of multilateral financing to support projects across the clean energy value chain for renewable energy, energy storage, power grid and transmission technologies, high efficiency cooling systems, zero emission vehicles, and other emerging clean technologies,” the White House said.

“The Leaders also highlighted the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)’s partnership with India’s private sector to expand clean energy manufacturing and diversify supply chains. To date, DFC has extended a $250 million loan to Tata Power Solar to construct a solar cell manufacturing facility and a $500 million loan to First Solar to construct and operate a solar module manufacturing facility in India,” it added.

The two leaders welcomed the India-US collaboration on a new National Center for Hydrogen Safety in India and affirmed their intent to utilise the new Renewable Energy Technology Action Platform (RETAP) to enhance collaboration on clean energy manufacturing and global supply chains.

“The Leaders welcomed the progress made on joint efforts since 2023 for India to work toward IEA membership in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement on an International Energy Program.

The two Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the manufacturing and deployment of renewable energy, battery storage and emerging clean technology in India,” the White House said.

Promoting Global Health and Development

The two leaders celebrated the new US-India Drug Policy Framework, which will deepen the collaboration to disrupt the illicit production and international trafficking of synthetic drugs and precursor chemicals, and deepen a holistic public health partnership.

“The Leaders applauded the first-ever U.S.-India Cancer Dialogue held in August 2024, which brought together experts from both countries to increase research and development to accelerate the rate of progress against cancer,” the White House said.

“The leaders welcomed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Small Business Administration for promoting cooperation between U.S. and Indian small and medium-size enterprises by improving their participation in the global market place through capacity building workshops in areas such as trade and export finance, technology and digital trade, green economy and trade facilitation,” it said.

“The Leaders welcomed enhanced cooperation on agriculture between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, in areas such as climate-smart agriculture, agriculture productivity growth, agriculture innovation, and sharing best practices related to crop risk protection and agriculture credit. The two sides will also enhance cooperation with the private sector through discussions on regulatory issues and innovation to enhance bilateral trade,” the White House said.

A 38-year-old software engineer suffering from depression died by suicide at his home in Chennai. Police said Karthikeyan electrocuted himself and his wife found him tangled in a live wire Thursday.

Originally from Theni district in Tamil Nadu, Karthikeyan lived in Chennai with his wife and two children, aged 10 and eight years. He had been working as a techie at a software firm for the past 15 years. Police have said Karthikeyan had earlier complained of being upset due to work pressure and was under treatment for depression for two months, according to a report in The Times of India.

Karthikeyan was alone at home at the time of the incident. His wife K Jayarani left for Thirunallur temple, about 300 km from Chennai, on Monday. She dropped off the children at her mother’s place. She returned on Thursday night and knocked, but there was no response. She used a spare key to enter the house and found Karthikeyan lying with a live wire wrapped around his body.

A case of unnatural death has been registered and a probe is on.

The techie’s death by suicide, allegedly due to depression over work pressure, has taken place amid nationwide outrage over toxic work conditions in the aftermath of the death of a 26-year-old chartered accountant with Ernst & Young.

The Union Labour Ministry has launched a probe into the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil after her mother alleged that a work culture that “seems to glorify overwork” affected her health, eventually leading to death.

Anita Augustine wrote to Ersnt & Young India chairman Rajiv Memani that Anna worked late into the night, even on weekends, “with no opportunity to catch her breath”. “Her assistant manager once called her at night with a task that needed to be completed by the next morning, leaving her with barely any time to rest or recover. When she voiced her concerns, she was met with the dismissive response, ‘You can work at night, that’s what we all do’.”

“Anna would return to her room utterly exhausted, sometimes collapsing on the bed without even changing her clothes, only to be bombarded with messages asking for more reports. She was putting in her best efforts, working very hard to meet the deadlines. She was a fighter to the core, not someone to give up easily. We told her to quit, but she wanted to learn and gain new exposure. However, the overwhelming pressure proved too much even for her,” she wrote.

Mr Memani has said that Ernst & Young places the highest importance on the well being of its employees.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn on Thursday night, he said, “I am deeply saddened and as a father, I can only imagine Ms Augustine’s grief. I have conveyed my deepest condolences to the family, although nothing can fill the void in their lives. I truly regret the fact that we missed being present at Anna’s funeral. This is completely alien to our culture. It has never happened before; it will never happen again.”

“I would like to affirm that the well-being of our people is my top-most priority and I will personally champion this objective. I am absolutely committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace, and I will not rest until that objective is accomplished,” he added.

The Quad leaders raised concerns about security in Ukraine and Gaza, condemning the October 7 attacks. They reaffirmed commitment to a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine and called for adherence to international law. The leaders also condemned any threats of nuclear weapon use in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.