India is gearing up to say, Namaste Trump, the American President will have a packed schedule during his two day India visit. We have for you the details and the itinerary of Trump's visit

Fineprint: Trump's India Visit, action Packed 36 Hour schedule

As Donald <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-president-donald-trump-retweets-wions-coverage-of-his-upcoming-trip-to-india-281666">Trump</a> heads to India for his first presidential visit, the government described his upcoming visit as "brief but intense", promising to make the "Namaste Trump" event grander than the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston last year. This, notwithstanding the fact that the much-hyped initial trade deal poised to be signed during this visit has now become a non-starter.

Sources say both sides have dug their heels on a possible trade pact after the US wanted more concessions from India than promised earlier.

Adding to the scepticism around the deal, the US trade representative Robert Lighthizer skipped his visit to India last week to meet the commerce minister Piyush Goel.

Brushing aside questions on why the two sides won't be able to sign a trade pact during the visit, the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar today said, "We have been engaging with the United States on trade talks for some time. We hope to reach an understanding with an outcome that strikes the right balance for both sides. We do not want to rush into a deal as the issues involved are complicated with many decisions potentially having a real impact on people’s lives and long-term economic consequences. We do not want to create artificial deadlines."

On possible deliverables, the MEA added, "the visit has to be seen in the context of reaching a certain stage of maturity in the relationship, regular meetings between the leaders of two democracies and the growing comfort level between our two countries. Both leaders have personally invested in this relationship."

India says it's ready to open up its dairy and farm industry to the US (despite domestic opposition) and give further import duty concessions on Harley Davidson motorcycles in return for the reinstatement of Generalised System of Preferences(GSP) for India, easing of visa rules, exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, and greater market access for its products from sectors such as agriculture, automobile, automobile components and engineering.

However, it looks like India will have to wait longer for anything to materialise, as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/not-in-a-hurry-for-a-trade-deal-says-india-ahead-of-trumps-visit-281638">Trump</a> announced this week that even though he "liked Prime Minister Modi," &nbsp;India had treated the US "unfairly" while announcing that the trade deal will have to wait until his November re-election.

But, both sides are looking to leverage the meet despite the trade issues.

India is planning to roll out the red carpet for the Trumps giving Agra a makeover with fresh paint and releasing fresh water into the Yamuna and promising lakhs of people in attendance of the President and the first lady.

In a statement, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said US President Donald Trump's visit would be "brief but intense with all the essential elements of a state visit with two additional legs of Ahmedabad and Agra all squeezed into 36 hours."

The President will first head to Ahmedabad, the prime minister's home constituency to jointly inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium, the newly built Motera Cricket Stadium with a capacity of 1,10,000 visitors.

Sources say the route from the airport to the stadium will be flanked by 28 stages representing various parts of the country and its rich diversity, not to forget the Indian government has promised an audience of hundreds of thousands of cheering Indians on the way to the stadium and over a lakh inside the arena.

Inside the new stadium, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi will address a full-capacity audience, much like the "Howdy Modi" event. The route will also feature decorations depicting different events in the life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Next, President Trump and First Lady Melania will head to Agra, where the two will spend about an hour at the Taj Mahal until sunset before they depart for Delhi.

On Tuesday, the US president has all his official engagements. In the morning, President Trump and the First Lady will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will then pay his tributes at Rajghat at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. It would be followed by restricted and delegation-level talks between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House.&nbsp;

India says the talks will be comprehensive and cover defence, security, counter-terrorism, as well as trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges and other bilateral matters. Prime Minister Modi would host a lunch for President Trump following the talks. The two leaders would also address the media. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
In the afternoon, President Trump is expected to attend private events at the US embassy, including a private roundtable with industry representatives.

And finally, he will be hosted by the President Ram Nath Kovind for dinner on the evening of February 25.

It will be the eighth meeting between the two leaders in eight months. The US is India's largest trading partner in goods and services. The overall bilateral trade between the two sides has increased by over 10 per cent per annum over the past two years to reach $142 billion in 2018 and it is expected to cross $150 billion for the first time this year.&nbsp;

Also, in the last two years, the US has become India's sixth-largest source of crude oil imports, with hydrocarbon imports rising to $7 billion in the last two years. Not to forget, the 4 million-strong Indian diaspora that is important to any US president in an election year, the richest among them being the Gujarati diaspora.

Reports say, ahead of the visit, the cabinet committee on security(CCS) has approved a deal to procure a batch of 24 Lockheed Martin MH60 <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ahead-of-trumps-visit-cabinet-committee-on-security-approves-us-helicopter-deal-281706">Romeo helicopters</a> - this will boost India's naval capacity. India's defence procurement from the US stands at $18 billion.

So even though we won't see a full-fledged trade deal taking shape, as India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said this week, the visit will showcase the "consequential relationship" between India and the US.

As Donald Trump heads to India for his first presidential visit, the government described his upcoming visit as "brief but intense", promising to make the "Namaste Trump" event grander than the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston last year.

As Donald Trump heads to India for his first presidential visit, the government described his upcoming visit as "brief but intense", promising to make the "Namaste Trump" event grander than the "Howdy Modi" event in Houston last year. This, notwithstanding the fact that the much-hyped initial trade deal poised to be signed during this visit has now become a non-starter. Sources say both sides have dug their heels on a possible trade pact after the US wanted more concessions from India than promised earlier. Adding to the scepticism around the deal, the US trade representative Robert Lighthizer skipped his visit to India last week to meet the commerce minister Piyush Goel. Brushing aside questions on why the two sides won't be able to sign a trade pact during the visit, the MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar today said, "We have been engaging with the United States on trade talks for some time. We hope to reach an understanding with an outcome that strikes the right balance for both sides. We do not want to rush into a deal as the issues involved are complicated with many decisions potentially having a real impact on people’s lives and long-term economic consequences. We do not want to create artificial deadlines." On possible deliverables, the MEA added, "the visit has to be seen in the context of reaching a certain stage of maturity in the relationship, regular meetings between the leaders of two democracies and the growing comfort level between our two countries. Both leaders have personally invested in this relationship." India says it's ready to open up its dairy and farm industry to the US (despite domestic opposition) and give further import duty concessions on Harley Davidson motorcycles in return for the reinstatement of Generalised System of Preferences(GSP) for India, easing of visa rules, exemption from high duties imposed by the US on certain steel and aluminium products, and greater market access for its products from sectors such as agriculture, automobile, automobile components and engineering. However, it looks like India will have to wait longer for anything to materialise, as Trump announced this week that even though he "liked Prime Minister Modi," India had treated the US "unfairly" while announcing that the trade deal will have to wait until his November re-election. But, both sides are looking to leverage the meet despite the trade issues. India is planning to roll out the red carpet for the Trumps giving Agra a makeover with fresh paint and releasing fresh water into the Yamuna and promising lakhs of people in attendance of the President and the first lady. In a statement, foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said US President Donald Trump's visit would be "brief but intense with all the essential elements of a state visit with two additional legs of Ahmedabad and Agra all squeezed into 36 hours." The President will first head to Ahmedabad, the prime minister's home constituency to jointly inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium, the newly built Motera Cricket Stadium with a capacity of 1,10,000 visitors. Sources say the route from the airport to the stadium will be flanked by 28 stages representing various parts of the country and its rich diversity, not to forget the Indian government has promised an audience of hundreds of thousands of cheering Indians on the way to the stadium and over a lakh inside the arena. Inside the new stadium, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi will address a full-capacity audience, much like the "Howdy Modi" event. The route will also feature decorations depicting different events in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Next, President Trump and First Lady Melania will head to Agra, where the two will spend about an hour at the Taj Mahal until sunset before they depart for Delhi. On Tuesday, the US president has all his official engagements. In the morning, President Trump and the First Lady will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. He will then pay his tributes at Rajghat at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi. It would be followed by restricted and delegation-level talks between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House. India says the talks will be comprehensive and cover defence, security, counter-terrorism, as well as trade, energy, people-to-people exchanges and other bilateral matters. Prime Minister Modi would host a lunch for President Trump following the talks. The two leaders would also address the media. In the afternoon, President Trump is expected to attend private events at the US embassy, including a private roundtable with industry representatives. And finally, he will be hosted by the President Ram Nath Kovind for dinner on the evening of February 25. It will be the eighth meeting between the two leaders in eight months. The US is India's largest trading partner in goods and services. The overall bilateral trade between the two sides has increased by over 10 per cent per annum over the past two years to reach $142 billion in 2018 and it is expected to cross $150 billion for the first time this year. Also, in the last two years, the US has become India's sixth-largest source of crude oil imports, with hydrocarbon imports rising to $7 billion in the last two years. Not to forget, the 4 million-strong Indian diaspora that is important to any US president in an election year, the richest among them being the Gujarati diaspora. Reports say, ahead of the visit, the cabinet committee on security(CCS) has approved a deal to procure a batch of 24 Lockheed Martin MH60 Romeo helicopters - this will boost India's naval capacity. India's defence procurement from the US stands at $18 billion. So even though we won't see a full-fledged trade deal taking shape, as India's foreign secretary Harsh Shringla said this week, the visit will showcase the "consequential relationship" between India and the US.

On trade deal with US, India says 'don't want to set artificial deadlines'

How US-built MH-60 Romeo helicopters will give Indian navy combat edge

The month of February marks the first visit of US President Donald Trump to India, and to mark this occasion the Ministry of External Affairs came up with creative greetings in the form of multilingual welcome for him and First Lady Melania Trump.

The month of February marks the first visit of US President Donald Trump to India, and to mark this occasion the Ministry of External Affairs came up with creative greetings in the form of multilingual welcome for him and First Lady Melania Trump. The official public diplomacy Twitter account of the MEA, named ‘Indian Diplomacy’, posted online and requested people to tweet a video of themselves saying ‘Welcome to India President Trump’ in their mother tongues. Respondents have also been asked to mention the language in which they would be sending their wishes. Also Read: Trump's 36 hours in India will be 'brief but intense' President @realDonaldTrump & @FLOTUS will be on their first visit to India from 24-25 February 2020 at the invitation of PM @narendramodi. India welcomes President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS in our uniquely diverse way. #NamasteTrump pic.twitter.com/dxWXUHOYIj — Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) February 19, 2020 × Welcoming President Trump in such an innovative manner, who will be making his maiden visit to India on 24 and 25 February is an initiative which the Indian public has taken on eagerly, with people sending personalised videos in Kashmiri, Garhwali and Kannada, while others sent written messages in Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Odia and Telugu. Watch | Indians welcome Donald Trump for two-day visit Diverse greetings sent to US President @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/u2eoSXBGjI — WION (@WIONews) February 20, 2020 × Donald Trump along with his wife Melania will be travelling to New Delhi and Ahemdabad on his two-day visit. A trip to the Sabarmati Ashram and signing a trade deal are also reportedly on the President's itinerary. I feel so proud when My Non Indian friends are sharing below pictures with me asking that “Hey Aditi, this is from your hometown - right?”🥰 yes, this is #MoteraStadium Ahmedabad 🇮🇳India. World's largest #Cricket stadium is ready to host @POTUS #NamasteTrump #AapnuAmdavad 😍 pic.twitter.com/pYtMScTDMp — Aditi Raval (@aditiraval) February 19, 2020 × Trump is also expected to address a public rally at the newly constructed Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad, though the size of the crowd which is to welcome him there is still unclear. “He (Modi) said that we will have millions and millions of people. My only problem is that last night we probably had 40 or 50,000 people… I am not going to feel so good… There will be five to seven million people just from the airport to the new stadium,” Donald Trump told reporters.

Trump's visit to India celebrated in multilingual fashion

India is planning a grand welcome for US President Donald Trump in Ahmedabad. A report says that his stay in Gujarat will cost Rs. 1.5 crores every minute. Wion's Palki gets you the details.

Gravitas: The Cost of Donald Trump's visit to India

The preparations to welcome US President Donald Trump are in full swing. As the US president is likely to visit Taj Mahal in Agra, the Uttar Pradesh government is leaving no stone unturned to beautify the area for his visit.

According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra, news agency PTI reported.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trump-signals-very-big-trade-deal-with-india-before-us-presidential-elections-281582">Trump signals 'very big' trade deal with India before US presidential elections</a>

"Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said.

Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said that though the move will not make the river's water fit for consumption, it is likely to reduce the "foul smell" from the Yamuna.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/preparations-in-full-swing-ahead-of-us-president-donald-trumps-india-visit-281468">India to spend Rs 1.5 crore a minute during US president's Ahmedabad visit</a>

"If 500 cusecs of water has been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamuna's water fit for drinking, but could reduce the foul smell from the river," Arvind Kumar said.

Trump and Melania will visit the Taj Mahal on February 24 before reaching New Delhi for a series of official meetings a day later.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/going-to-india-trump-set-to-open-worlds-biggest-cricket-stadium-281416">Going to India - Trump set to open world's biggest cricket stadium</a>

The US President is also scheduled to visit Gujarat. It is reported that a whopping Rs 120 crore is being spent for a 3-hour visit of Trump to Ahmedabad. That's Rs 1.5 crore a minute that the US president spends in the Gujarati city.

Trump will also inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium when he arrives in Ahmedabad.

The US president will be on a two-day trip to India between February 24 and 25.

(With inputs from PTI)

The preparations to welcome US President Donald Trump are in full swing. As the US president is likely to visit Taj Mahal in Agra, the Uttar Pradesh government is leaving no stone unturned to beautify the area for his visit.

The preparations to welcome US President Donald Trump are in full swing. As the US president is likely to visit Taj Mahal in Agra, the Uttar Pradesh government is leaving no stone unturned to beautify the area for his visit. According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department has released 500 cusecs of water into the Yamuna from the Ganganahar in Bulandshahr to improve the river's "environmental condition" in Agra, news agency PTI reported. Also read: Trump signals 'very big' trade deal with India before US presidential elections "Keeping in mind US President Trump's visit to Agra, 500 cusecs of water has been released from the Ganganahar to improve the environmental condition of the Yamuna. This water will reach the Yamuna in Mathura by February 20 and Agra by February 21 afternoon," the department's Superintending Engineer Dharmender Singh Phogat said. Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) assistant engineer Arvind Kumar said that though the move will not make the river's water fit for consumption, it is likely to reduce the "foul smell" from the Yamuna. Also read: India to spend Rs 1.5 crore a minute during US president's Ahmedabad visit "If 500 cusecs of water has been released into the Yamuna to control pollution, it will certainly have an impact. This will also improve the oxygen level in the Yamuna in Mathura and in Agra. This move may not make the Yamuna's water fit for drinking, but could reduce the foul smell from the river," Arvind Kumar said. Trump and Melania will visit the Taj Mahal on February 24 before reaching New Delhi for a series of official meetings a day later. Also read: Going to India - Trump set to open world's biggest cricket stadium The US President is also scheduled to visit Gujarat. It is reported that a whopping Rs 120 crore is being spent for a 3-hour visit of Trump to Ahmedabad. That's Rs 1.5 crore a minute that the US president spends in the Gujarati city. Trump will also inaugurate the world's largest cricket stadium when he arrives in Ahmedabad. The US president will be on a two-day trip to India between February 24 and 25. (With inputs from PTI)

Ahead of Trump's Agra visit, 500 cusecs of water released into Yamuna to tackle 'foul smell'

President Trump will pay a state visit to India on February 24 and 25 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. He would be accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.