San Francisco

Indian Prime Minister to Visit Silicon Valley, Attend Event Expected to Draw Thousands

A leader from one of the largest democracies in the world will be visiting San Jose this weekend when he will visit Silicon Valley companies and attend at an event expected to draw thousands of people.

Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will attend a community reception at 5 p.m. Sunday at the SAP Center with more than 18,000 people organized by Indo American Community of West Coast.

House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco; Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin; and Rep. John Garamendi, D-Fairfield, and other elected officials will attend Sunday's event.

"This visit really amplifies San Jose's opportunity to take the city to the next level, to play on an international stage," Mayor Sam Liccardo said during a news conference Thursday at City Hall.

"We're proud to be a community in Silicon Valley where over 200,000 Indian-Americans have enriched our community," he said.

City Councilman Ash Kalra said Silicon Valley should play a role in the prime minister's vision for a "digital India."

Early Indian immigrants were agricultural workers in Santa Clara Valley and they are now becoming leaders and innovators in Silicon Valley, Kalra said.

Kalra, the first Indian-American to serve on the council, said he sees Modi's visit as the start of a partnership between India and the city of San Jose, Kalra said.

City Councilwoman Magdalena Carrasco said the upcoming visit is not only an exciting time for Indian-Americans, but also for the multicultural community to be a part of the historic visit.

Modi, who was elected into office 15 months ago, has an "ambitious agenda" for the India that includes plans to create smart cities, provide renewable energy and expand health services, entrepreneur and event co-chair Naren Gupta said.

"The key goal of the visit is to bring the innovation mindset, innovation culture we have here in the valley to India," Gupta said.

Modi's roughly two-day trip will include visits to big companies and startups, tech professional and event organizer Khanderao Kand said.

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