Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in two round tables with the CEOs of American companies — one in Houston focussing on the energy sector and the other in New York — during his seven-day visit to the US beginning this weekend.

The Prime Minister will address the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York on September 27.

“The Prime Minister’s first stop in the US on September 21 is Houston. His first engagement is a round table with several chief executives of energy sector from companies like BP, Exxon Mobil and Schlumburger,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said at a press conference on Thursday.

Gokhale pointed out that energy was a major new component in the Indo-US trade mix and India was now importing $4 billion worth of oil and gas from the US.

On September 22, US President Donald Trump and several US Congress members from both parties will join Modi at the Indian disapora event ‘Howdy Modi’. About 50,000 Indian Americans are expected to participate in it.

The Foreign Secretary, however, did not confirm if trade-related announcements would be made by Modi and Trump at the event.

Modi is also scheduled to hold an interactive sessions with US Congress members on September 22. Interestingly, as many as 44 US Congress members wrote to the US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday making a case for restoration of GSP benefits for Indian items.

The Prime Minister will hold his second round table with CEOs of American companies in New York on September 25. The companies to be represented at the meeting include Google, IBM, Coca Cola, Pepsi, JP Morgan & Chase, Amway, Bank of America, The Blackstone Group, Deloitte, Walmart, Amazon, GE and Metlife.

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