“From your childhood selling tea to your election as India’s Prime Minister, you’ve proven that transformational change is possible,” said Ivanka Trump, lavishing Prime Minister Modi with praise.
Ivanka, the advisor to and daughter of US President Donald Trump was addressing the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which is being held in Hyderabad.
Acknowledging India as an ally of the US, she said, “This is the first time India has hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. It is a symbol of the strengthened friendship between our two peoples, and the growing economic and security partnership between our two nations. As President Trump said earlier this year: India has a true friend in the White House.”
"It’s wonderful to be in this ancient city brimming with transformative technology," she said referring to Hyderabad.
Referring to the theme of the 8th GES -- Women First, Prosperity for All – Ivanka said this is the "key to our future".
“I am proud that for the first time ever, women make up the majority of the 1500 entrepreneurs selected to attend. Only when women are empowered to thrive; will our families, our economies, and our societies reach their fullest potential,” Ivanka said.
“As a former entrepreneur, employer, and executive in a male-dominated industry, I have seen firsthand that all too often, women must do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves at work, while also disproportionately caring for their families at home,” Ivanka added.
Showering praises on Modi she said, “I want to applaud Prime Minister Modi for his firm belief that the progress of humanity is incomplete without the empowerment of women.”
“In the last decade, women have made remarkable strides in starting new businesses. Globally, between 2014 and 2016, entrepreneurship activity among women increased by 10%,” Ivanka said.
She further congratulated the entrepreneurs Bengaluru’s Rajlakshmi Borthakur who developed a smart glove that predicts, manages, and detects different diseases and disorders using artificial intelligence, Dara Dotz from San Francisco who is providing life-saving supplies through 3-D printing, and 15-year-old Reyhan Camalova from Azerbaijan who founded a company that harvests energy from rainwater.
The Global Entrepreneurship Summit is a three-day summit. Entrepreneurs from over 170 countries have been selected to attend the Summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also partook in the event.
(With IANS inputs)