Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schedule for the week-long trip to the United States is going to be packed with his address at the 'Howdy, Modi!' event in Houston and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He will also be meeting US delegations and corporate firms regarding trade and other issues, on the sidelines. 

Modi, who will be in the US from September 21 to 27,  will meet US President Donald Trump and discuss bilateral issues, including various trade pacts, as well as plans for cooperation in the field of defence and energy, sources told IANS.

"The talks are also expected on commercial aviation front and Indian carriers' order to purchase more airlines from US aviation giant Boeing would figure over there," the sources said.

Apart from official talks, the Indian Prime Minister will also meet CEOs from top foreign energy companies, including BP, ExxonMobil, Emerson Electric Company, Vinmar International and IHS Markit, in a roundtable meeting at Houston on September 21. 

Ties between India and the US have deepened after the White House confirmed Trump's attendance in the 'Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures' event last week. The event is expected to be attended by 50,000 Indian-Americans at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. 

The event will be broadcast live online and on television channels with a likely reach out to over a billion people across the US and India. It is expected to garner the largest live audience ever in North America for an Indian Prime Minister and the largest crowd for a foreign leader in the US, apart from Pope Francis.

Around 60 lawmakers, including the first American-Hindu Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, and Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, will reportedly to attend the summit.

The first American-Hindu Congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard, who was expected to attend the event earlier, will not be doing so. Gabbard said: "Namaste! I would like to extend a warm welcome to Prime Minister Modi on his latest visit to the US and I am sorry that I will not be able to join there in person due to previously scheduled presidential campaign events."

Gabbard had previously welcomed Modi in a Joint Session of Congress in June 2006.

"I'm very happy to see that Howdy Modi is bringing together Indian-Americans and Hindu Americans from across our country, including many of my colleagues in the US Congress," Gabbard was quoted as saying by PTI. 

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Thursday stated that Modi's itinerary will majorly comprise of travelling from Texas to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. 

Apart from addressing the UN assembly on September 27, Modi will also host a special event on September 24: "Leadership Matters: Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World" to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.