Johannesburg, Nov 21 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday interacted with Indian origin tech entrepreneurs and members of the Indian community based in South Africa and called upon them to deepen their engagement with India.
Modi, who is in Johannesburg to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit, in a social media post said he had a “fruitful interaction” with Indian origin tech entrepreneurs and they talked about the work they are doing in sectors such as FinTech, social media platforms, agriculture, education, healthcare, medical devices and more.
“Called upon them to deepen their engagement with India and work closely with our people,” he said.
The prime minister also met members of the Indian community based in South Africa who are actively working with different community organisations.
“They shared their experiences on various issues and were very appreciative of India’s strides across different fields. Urged them to keep up the momentum with which they are enhancing people-to-people linkages,” he said.
“Also asked them to boost the popularity of Indian culture among the people of South Africa, including practices such as Yoga, Ayurveda,” he added.
“The prime minister emphasised their role as ‘a living bridge’ between the two countries. He appreciated the contribution of over 1.7 million strong Indian diaspora in South Africa towards nurturing the historical bonds of friendship between India and South Africa,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on X.
Modi also lauded their efforts to help the youth connect with the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, he added.
The prime minister also received a ‘Kalash’ from the Chinmaya Mission, consisting of Shree Anna or millets from India as well as South Africa.
“This will be placed in the Annapoorna Devi Temple in Durban,” he said.
Modi also met with the winners of the Bharat Ko Janiye (Know India) Quiz in South Africa.
The prime minister said this quiz “encourages members of our diaspora to learn more about India’s history, culture and more”.
Separately, Modi met his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Johannesburg and the two leaders took stock of progress in cooperation in diverse areas, including defence and security, critical minerals, trade & investment and people-to-people ties.
Modi met Albanese hours after he arrived in South Africa to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
Modi also held a meeting with Naspers chairman and CEO and discussed expanding investments in India’s digital ecosystem.
Earlier today, Modi arrived at Waterkloof Air Force Base (AFB) in Gauteng, where he was accorded a warm and ceremonial welcome.
This is the first G20 Summit being held in Africa. The African Union became a member of the G20 during India’s presidency in 2023. PTI GSP GSP GSP
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
