Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk at Blair House in Washington DC on Thursday during his two-day visit to the United States.
Musk, who also serves as the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was accompanied by three of his children and presented a special gift to the Prime Minister before their discussions.
The meeting is believed to have touched upon Starlink’s plans for India, with Musk expected to have raised the issue of Starlink’s pending license application currently under review by India’s Department of Telecommunications. The Indian government has reportedly shown a preference for Musk’s proposal of administrative spectrum allocation over competitive auctioning, a move opposed by Indian telecom operators who argue that administrative allocation would undermine fair competition due to the high costs they incurred in spectrum auctions.
Addressing security concerns, Starlink has assured the Indian government that all user data would be stored locally, easing apprehensions about data privacy and national security. Discussions may have also explored potential collaboration between SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), paving the way for joint ventures in space technology and exploration.
Musk has been actively lobbying for reduced import tariffs on Tesla’s electric vehicles, proposing to export low-cost EV models to India if tariff reductions are implemented.
This meeting followed Prime Minister Modi’s earlier engagement with US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz at Blair House, where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Indian NSA Ajit Doval were also present.
Later in the day, PM Modi is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House, as well as Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at Blair House.
This marks Prime Minister Modi’s first visit to the United States since President Trump began his second term. Modi arrived in Washington DC on Wednesday, where he was received by India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials. Upon arrival, Modi expressed his eagerness to strengthen the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership during this visit.
In a departure statement before embarking on the US visit, PM Modi highlighted the opportunity to build upon the collaborative successes of his previous term and to develop a robust agenda aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in technology, trade, defense, energy, and supply chain resilience.
(Inputs from ANI)
