Washington: President Donald Trump will travel to India later this month on a two-day visit, the White House announced on Tuesday, in what would be his first trip to the country as the president of the United States.
The president and First Lady Melania Trump will travel to New Delhi and Ahmedabad during the visit from February 24-25, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
His predecessor, Barack Obama, had travelled to India twice, in 2010 and 2015.
During a phone call over the weekend, Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed the trip would further strengthen the India-US strategic partnership and highlight the strong and enduring bonds between the American and Indian people, she said.
"President Trump's trip to India is timely in view of the bilateral trade issues that need to be resolved and in light of the collaborations between the US and India in various realms," M R Rangaswami, Indian-American philanthropist and head of Indiaspora, told PTI.
Describing this as a significant visit, Mukesh Aghi, president of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum, noted that last three American presidents had made trips to India.
"It's essential to send a message to the region that India is a significant partner and the president values that," Aghi told PTI.
According to him, India has a role to play not only in its immediate neighbourhood, but in making sure that the South China Sea and the Indo Pacific region is part of the international global order.
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Pilibhit (UP) (PTI): Two men were killed in a head-on collision between their motorcycles in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district on Wednesday, police said.
The incident occurred near Gauhaniya village on the Bisalpur-Bilsanda road. According to police, the two men were returning home after celebrating Holi at their in-laws' houses.
They were riding at high speed when their motorcycles collided head-on near Gauhaniya village, an eyewitness said. Both sustained severe head injuries and died on the spot.
One of the deceased was identified as Surendra Kumar (26). He was returning from his in-laws' house in Ganguapur village.
The other victim, Dhanpal (25), was a resident of Badhela Badagaon village in neighbouring Shahjahanpur district. He was returning from his in-laws' house in Vakainiya village in the Bilsanda area.
Bilsanda Station House Officer Siddhant Sharma confirmed the incident and said both damaged motorcycles have been seized. "A detailed investigation is underway. Traffic on the road has been restored," he said.
Police identified the victims through documents found on them and informed their families. The bodies have been sent to the district headquarters for post-mortem.
In a separate incident, a 60-year-old woman was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on the Bareilly-Pilibhit highway under Jahanabad police station limits late on Tuesday night.
Jahanabad Station House Officer Pradeep Bishnoi said the deceased was identified as Ramkali, aged around 60, a resident of Balpur village. She was reportedly mentally unwell and often wandered away from home.
