Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday returned to India after concluding a successful three-nation, nine day tour of France, Germany and Canada, landing at the Palam Air Force Station in the national capital.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, including the party's Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay and Vijay Goel, were present to receive Prime Minister Modi, garlanding him and offering him bouquets after his fruitful trip.
Travelling first to France, the Prime Minister addressed the UNESCO at the organisation's headquarters at Place de Fontenoy in Paris, lauding the initiatives taken by it and adding that the programme to educate and support the girl child in India was the one which is closest to his heart.
In what was one of the most important deals inked during his visit of France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had requested French President Francois Hollande for 36 Rafale jets in 'fly away' condition as quickly as possible, which has been seen as a huge boost to the ageing air fleet of the Indian Air Force.
During his visit, India and France also agreed that a Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism will meet and formulate the modalities of greater cooperation on the matter, after agreeing to intensify their cooperation within the framework of JWG on counter-terrorism, including on information and intelligence sharing on terror networks and working together to share experiences on dealing with the growing phenomenon of radicalisation.
Prime Minister Modi also paid homage to Indian soldiers martyred during World War I at a memorial in Neuve Chapelle.
Travelling to Germany for the second leg of his tour, the Prime Minister was present for the inauguration of the 2015 Hannover Messe industrial fair, for which India was a partner country and stated that he was delighted at the enthusiasm that the 'Make in India' initiative has received in the Federal Republic.
The Prime Minister further stated that it is 'extremely crucial' for India to become a manufacturing hub and added that it would be a big blow to the country if it loses this opportunity, vowing to remove unnecessary regulations and procedures to simplify the process of foreign investment in India, as well as to make it easier for other countries to initiate business deals.
Referring to Germany as a 'natural partner' for the 'Make in India' initiative, the Prime Minister further said that he believes New Delhi and Berlin will prosper together, declaring that India's Lion and Germany's Eagle will soar together.
Asserting that India and Germany have earned the right to be permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Prime Minister Modi also said that the membership of the two countries will be beneficial to the world.
For the final leg of his nine-day tour, the Prime Minister travelled to Canada, the first stand-alone bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister in 42 years.
He held a round table conference with heads of pension funds, banks and other financial leaders of Canada, assuring them that his government will facilitate their concerns regarding investment in India, adding that bureaucracy shall no longer be an issue.
During the Prime Minister's visit, Ottawa also unveiled a CAD 350 million deal to supply uranium fuel to India, formally ending a lengthy dispute that began after New Delhi used Canadian technology to develop a nuclear bomb.
The joint statement released by Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper underscored the considerable potential for mutually-beneficial civil nuclear cooperation and welcomed the signing of an agreement between the Indian Department of Atomic Energy and Cameco of Canada for the long-term supply of uranium to India to meet its energy needs.
The Prime Minister also visited the memorial to the Air India 'Kanishka' bombing, paying tributes to the victims in a wreath laying ceremony.
He had earlier visited Gurdwara Khalsa Diwan and the Laxmi Narayan temple in Vancouver. He also attended an official dinner hosted by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, before departing for India.
