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Atal Ji was a true patriot: PM Narendra Modi during Mann Ki Baat

Published By : Admin | August 26, 2018 | 11:30 IST
#MannKiBaat: PM Narendra Modi extends Raksha Bandhan and Janmashtami greetings to people across the country
Knowledge and teachers are invaluable. Apart from mothers, teachers are the only people who have an influence on our lives: PM Modi #MannKiBaat
The flood in Kerala has severely affected public life. The whole nation stands with Kerala at this difficult time: PM during #MannKiBaat
The extent of devastation caused by disasters is unfortunate but at the same time, what we also witness is the kindness of humanity: PM during #MannKiBaat
Armed forces personnel are heroes of the ongoing rescue work in Kerala. They have left no stone unturned to save the people affected in the flood: PM Modi #MannKiBaat
The efforts of NDRF team in handling the flood situation in Kerala displays their potential and commitment: PM Modi during #MannKiBaat
On 16th August, the entire nation was deeply saddened to hear about demise of our beloved Atal Ji: PM Narendra Modi during #MannKiBaat
The affection and respect for Atal Ji from people across the country reflects his great personality: PM Modi during #MannKiBaat
The nation will always remember Atal Ji as one of the best MPs, a prolific writer, a great orator and a popular Prime Minister: PM Modi #MannKiBaat
The country will always be grateful to Atal ji for bringing good governance to the mainstream: PM Narendra Modi during #MannKiBaat
Atal Ji was a true patriot: PM Narendra Modi during #MannKiBaat
It was during the tenure of Atal Ji that India witnessed 'another independence'. Indian Flag Code was created and commissioned in 2002: PM during #MannKiBaat
This Monsoon Session shall forever be remembered as an exemplary move for social justice and well-being of youth: PM #MannKiBaat
We passed an amendment in the Monsoon Session that would protect the rights of Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes and benefit them with better security: PM #MannKiBaat
Our players are excelling in sports like shooting and wrestling, but now they are shining even in those arenas where we didn’t fetch so well in the past: PM during #MannKiBaat
Our award-winning players come from a diverse background, with a high percentage of girls who stand out victorious, which in itself is a positive news: PM Modi #MannKiBaat
It is my humble appeal to all the citizens that they must indulge in some sport and keep themselves fit because only a healthy India can lead to a prosperous and developed India: PM #MannKiBaat
India has borne multiple engineers who turned unimaginable into achievable and created marvels that are often exemplified as miracles: PM Modi #MannKiBaat

My dear countrymen, Namaskar. Today, the entire country is celebrating Rakshabandhan. Heartiest greetings to all fellow citizens on this auspicious occasion. The festival of Rakshabandhan symbolizes the bond of love & trust between a brother & a sister. For centuries, this festival has proved to be a shining example of social harmony. In the nation’s history, there are innumerable accounts of this sacred thread, binding together people of distant lands, different religions, around a spindle of trust. In a few days from now, we shall celebrate the festive occasion of Janmashtami. The whole atmosphere will reverberate to the sonorous chants & calls of ‘Hathi, Ghoda, Palki’, ‘Jai Kanhaiya Lal ki’ and ‘Govinda-Govinda’. It is indeed an extremely joyous experience to imbue the essence of Bhagwan Krishna & revel blissfully. In other parts of the country, especially Maharashtra, our young friends must be busy with preparations of the ‘Dahi-Handi’…. the festive ritual of the human pyramid breaking the curd filled earthen pot. Heartiest greetings to all countrymen on the festive occasions of Rakshabandhan and Janmashtami.

Bhagini Chinmayee, भवती संस्कृत – प्रश्न पृष्टवत्ती | Sister Chinmayee has asked a question in Sanskrit. Excellent, extraordinary. My salutations to you. On the occasion of Sanskrit week, I extend my best wishes to all countrymen.
I am extremely thankful to young Chinmayee for touching upon this subject. Friends, apart from Rakshabandhan, Shravan Poornima is also celebrated as Sanskrit Day.

I congratulate all those actively involved in preserving & conserving this glorious heritage, helping it to reach out to the masses. Every language has its own significance, sanctity. India takes great pride in the fact that Tamil is the most ancient of world languages. We Indians also feel proud that from Vedic times to the modern day, Sanskrit language has played a stellar role in the universal spread of knowledge.

Sanskrit language & literature encompasses a storehouse of knowledge pertaining to every facet of life. Science & technology, agriculture & health, Mathematics & Management, economy & environment, the entire spectrum has been touched upon. It is said that our Vedas have detailed reference on Mantras, on ways & means to counter the challenges of global warming. You will be pleased to know that even today, residents of village Mattur in Shivamoga district of Karnataka use Sanskrit as their lingua franca.

You will be astonished to know that Sanskrit is a language that possesses the capacity for infinite word formation with two thousand verb roots, 200 suffixes & 22 prefixes; coupled with compounds, the possibility of word-creation is limitless. And that is why the minutest nuance of an expression or subject can be accurately described. This has been the core speciality of Sanskrit. Today, at times, in order to communicate more assertively, we tend to make use of English Quotations or even sher-o-shayari-urdu poetry. But those who are well acquainted with Sanskrit Subhashitas – epigrammatic verses, know very well that it is possible to make a crisp, precise statement, using very few words through the usage of subhashitas. And since there is a sense of geographical & cultural belonging, they are easy to understand & assimilate.

For example, in order to illustrate the significance of the Guru in one’s life, it has been said
एकमपि अक्षरमस्तु गुरु: शिष्यं प्रबोधयेr~ |
प्रथिव्यां नास्ति तद- दृव्यं, यद – दत्त्वा ह्यu`.kh Hkosr~ ||

Thereby meaning, when a guru imparts even an iota of knowledge to the student, there is no material or wealth on the entire earth that the student can make use of, to repay the guru. We must abide by the same essence, the same spirit as we celebrate Teachers’ Day. Knowledge & the guru are incomparable, invaluable, priceless, On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, we remember the great philosopher, former President of India Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan ji. His birth anniversary is celebrated as Teacher’ Day across the country. I felicitate all the teachers in the country on this occasion. I also salute your sense of commitment towards science, education and students.

My dear countrymen, the monsoon comes along, bringing a new ray of hope to our toiling farmers. It provided much needed succor to the scorched trees & shrubs, and to parched water bodies; on the other hand excessive rainfall causes devastating floods. It’s a vagary of Nature that some places have received higher rainfall compared to other places. We just saw how the terrible floods in Kerala have affected human lives. In today’s pressing, hard times, the entire Nation is with Kerala. Our sympathies are with those families who lost their loved ones. Loss of lives cannot be compensated, but I assure the grief-stricken families that in this moment of suffering & misery, a hundred & twenty five crore Indians stand by them, shoulder to shoulder. I earnestly pray for those injured in this natural disaster to get well soon. I firmly believe that the sheer grit and courage of the people of the state will see Kerala rise again.

Disasters, unfortunately leave behind a trail of destruction. But one gets to witness facets of humanity, humaneness during disasters. From Kutch to Kamrup, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, everyone is endeavoring to contribute in some way or the other so that wherever a disaster strikes, be it Kerala or any other part of India, human life returns to normalcy. Irrespective of age group or area of work, people are contributing. Everyone is trying to ensure speedy mitigation of the sufferings people in Kerala are going through, in fact sharing their pain. We know that jawans of our armed forces are the vanguards of rescue & relief operations in Kerala. They have left no stone unturned as saviors of those trapped in the floods. The Air Force, Navy, Army, BSF, CISF, RAF, every agency has played an exemplary role in the rescue & relief operations. I would like to specially mention the arduous endeavors of the NDRF daredevils. At this moment of hardship & agony, their service stands out as a shining example. The capability, commitment & controlling situation through rapid decisions of the NDRF have made them a cynosure of every Indian’s eye, worthy of respect & admiration. Yesterday was the festival of Onam. We pray for Onam to provide strength to the country, especially Kerala so that it returns to normalcy on a newer journey of development. Once again on behalf of all Indians, I would like to re assure each & everyone in Kerala and other affected places that at this moment of calamity, the entire country stands by them.

My dear countrymen ! I was looking into the suggestions received for “Mann Ki Baat”. The subject about which most of the people from across the country have written is “Our revered Atal Behari Vajpayee”. Kirti from Ghaziabad, Swati Vats from Sonepat, brother Praveen from Kerala, Dr. Swapan Banerjee from West Bengal, Akhilesh Pandey from Katihar, Bihar and numerous others have written on Narendra Modi Mobile App and MyGov asking me to speak on various aspects of Atalji’s life. As soon as the people in our country and abroad heard of the demise of Atalji on 16th August, everyone drowned in sadness. He was a leader who gave up his position as Prime Minister fourteen years ago. In a way, he was cut-off from active politics for the last 10 years. He was neither seen in the news nor in public life.

Ten years is a huge gap but on 16th August our country and the whole world witnessed that there was not a gap of even a single moment in the common man’s heart. The wave of love and faith that spread across the nation is an indicator of his great personality. During these last days, many great aspects of Atalji came up to the fore. People remembered him as the best member of Parliament, sensitive writer, best orator and most popular Prime Minister and will continue to remember him. The country will ever remain grateful to Atalji for bringing good governance in the main stream. But, I just want to touch upon one more facet of Atalji’s legendary personality and that is the political culture which Atalji gave to India, his efforts in the direction of bringing about the changes in our political culture, his efforts to mould it into an organized framework and which proved very beneficial for India and a bigger benefit will accrue in days to come. This is certain. India will remain ever grateful to Atalji for bringing the 91st Amendment Act, 2003. This change brought about two important changes in India’s politics.

First one is that the size of the cabinet in states was restricted to 15% of the total seats in the state Assembly.
And the second one is that the limit under the Anti Defection Law was enhanced from one-thirds to two-thirds. Besides, clear guidelines were defined to disqualify the defector.

For many years in India, the political culture of forming a very large cabinet was being misused to constitute jumbo cabinets not only to create a divide but also to appease political leaders. Atalji changed it. This effort of his resulted in saving of money as well as of resources. This also helped in improving efficiency. It could only be a visionary like Atalji who brought in this transformation and as a result of this, healthy traditions blossomed in our polity.

Atalji was a true patriot. It was during his tenure that the timing of presenting the budget was changed. Earlier, as was the British tradition, the Budget used to be presented at 5 pm because in London, Parliament used to start working at that time. In the year 2001, Atalji changed the time of presenting the budget from 5 pm to 11 am. One more freedom- the Indian Flag Code was framed in Atalji’s tenure and it came into effect in 2002. A number of such rules have been included in this code which made it possible to unfurl the tricolor in public places. This provided a chance to more and more of our countrymen to unfurl our national flag. Thus, he brought our beloved tricolor closer to the common man. You must have noticed how Atalji took bold steps to bring about fundamental reforms, whether in our election process or about the shortcomings concerning the people’s representatives. Similarly, you can see that presently efforts are afoot and discussions are being held about simultaneously holding the elections for Lok Sabha and for state assemblies. The Government and the opposition – both are putting forth their view points. This is a good development and a healthy sign for our democracy. I must say that developing healthy traditions for a sound democracy, making constant efforts to strengthen democracy, encouraging open-minded debates would also be a appropriate tribute to Atalji. Reiterating our resolve to fulfill his dream of a prosperous and developed India, I along with all of you pay tributes to Atalji.

My dear countrymen ! whenever a discussion about Parliament is there nowadays, it is about hold-ups, noisy scenes and stalling the proceedings but when something good happens, it is not given much importance. The monsoon session of Parliament ended just a few days back. You will be glad to know that the productivity of Lok Sabha remained 118 percent and that of Rajya Sabha was 74 percent. All the members rose above party interests to make the Monsoon session most productive and this is why Lok Sabha passed 21 bills and in Rajya Sabha fourteen bills were passed. This Monsoon session of Parliament will always be remembered as a session for social justice and youth welfare. A number of important bills beneficial to the youth and the backward classes were passed during this session. As you know, a demand to constitute an OBC Commission similar to SC/ST commission was long pending for decades. The country fulfilled its resolve this time to make an OBC Commission and also granted it Constitutional powers. This step will prove to be the one to move forward our march towards achieving the goal of social justice. An amendment bill to secure the rights of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes also were passed in this session. This Act will give more security to the interests of SC and ST communities. This will also forbid criminals from indulging in atrocities and will instill confidence among the dalit communities.

No civil society can tolerate any kind of injustice towards the woman-power of the country. The nation will not tolerate those committing rapes. With this point in view Parliament has made a provision of strictest punishment by passing the Criminal Act Amendment Bill. Those guilty of rape will get a minimum sentence of ten years and those found guilty of raping girls below the age of 12 years will be awarded the death sentence. Recently, you might have read in newspapers, that a court in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, after a brief hearing of two months, pronounced the death sentence on two criminals found guilty of raping a minor girl. Earlier, a court in Katni in Madhya Pradesh awarded the death sentence to the guilty after a hearing of just five days. Courts in Rajasthan have also taken similar quick decisions. This Act will play an effective role in curbing crimes against women and girls. Economic growth will be incomplete without a social transformation. The Triple Talaq Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha although it could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha, I assure the Muslim women that the whole country stands by them to provide them social justice. When we move ahead in the national interest, a change in the lives of the poor, the backward, the exploited and the deprived ones can also be brought about. In the Monsoon session, this time, everyone jointly presented an ideal approach. Today, I publicly express my heartfelt gratitude to all MP’s.

My dear countrymen! The attention of crores of Indians is focused on the Asian Games being held in Jakarta. Every morning, first of all, people look for newspapers, Television, News and Social Media to check Indian players winning medals. The Asian Games are going on. I wish to congratulate all players who have won medals for the country. I extend my best wishes to those players who are yet to compete. Indian players are performing exceedingly well in shooting and wrestling but our players are winning medals in those competitions too, in which our performance has not been so good earlier-like WUSHU and ROWING. These are not just medals but an evidence of the sky high spirits of the Indian players.

Among those winning medals for our country are a large number of our daughters which is a very positive sign; so much so, that youngsters of only 15-16 years of age have brought honour to our country by winning medals. This too is a very positive indication that most of the medal-winners hail from small towns and villages and these players have achieved this success by putting in sheer hard work.
We shall celebrate National Sports Day on 29th August and I extend my best wishes to all sport lovers and also pay my tributes to the legendary hockey wizard Shri Dhyanchandji.

I request every citizen to make it a point to play and take care of their fitness because only a healthy India will build a developed and prosperous India. When India will be fit, only then India’s future will be bright. Once again, I congratulate the medal winners at the Asian Games and also wish the remaining players perform well. Many good wishes to you all on the National Sports Day.

Namaste Bhawnaji, I respect your sentiments. All of us have seen houses and buildings being constructed of bricks and stones but can you imagine that about twelve hundred years ago, a giant mountain which was a single stone mountain was give the shape of an elegant, huge and a unique –temple –this may be difficult to imagine, but this happened and that temple is Kailash Nath Mandir in Ellora, Mahrashtra. Would you believe if someone tells you that about a thousand years ago, an over sixty metres tall pillar of granite was built and another granite rock weighing about 80 tonnes was placed over its top. But, Brihdeshwar temple of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is the place where this unbelievable combination of Engineering and Architecture can be seen. Anybody will feel overawed on seeing Rani Ki Vaav of the 11th Century in Patan in Gujarat. Our land has been an engineering laboratory. There have been several engineers in India who made the unimaginable possible and presented such marvels of engineering before the world. In this lineage of great engineers, we were blessed with a diamond whose work is still a source of wonder for all. He was Bharat Ratna Dr. M. Visvesvaraya. Lakhs of farmers and common people continue to benefit from the Krishna Raj Sagar Dam built by him. He is greatly revered in that part of our country and the whole nation remembers him with great respect and regard. In his memory, 15th September is observed as Engineers Day. Following his footsteps, our engineers have created their own identity in the world.

When I talk of wonders in the Engineering world, I am reminded of an incident of 2001 when a devastating earth quake hit Kutch in Gujarat. I used to work as a volunteer there during those days, I got a chance to go to a village and had a chance to meet a lady of more than a hundred years of age. And she was looking at me and mockingly, saying, “Look at my house. It is called Bhoonga in Kutch. This house has faced three earthquakes. I myself have seen three in this house itself. But, you did not find any damage anywhere. These houses were built by our ancestors in sync with nature and surroundings of this place”. And she was saying all this with such a feeling of pride that it made me think that engineers in that era had constructed such structures according to the local situations which kept the common man safe and secured. While observing Engineers Day, we should think of the future as well. Workshops should be held at different places. What are the things we need to learn in the changing times? What do we need to teach? What do we need to connect to? Nowadays, disaster management has assumed immense significance. The world is facing natural calamities. What then should be the new form of structural engineering? What courses should be designed to that end? What should be taught to the students? How do we keep construction eco friendly? How can we enhance the quality of construction by making value addition through local materials? How do we make zero waste our priority? All such points need to be pondered upon when we observe Engineers Day.

My dear countrymen! There is a mood of festivity and with this the preparations for Diwali also begin. We will keep meeting through Mann Ki Baat, and will keep sharing matters close to our hearts. We will join hands in taking our country forward with heartfelt vigor. With these feelings, I extend my best wishes to you all. Thanks. We shall meet.

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India-Italy Joint Declaration
May 20, 2026

At the invitation of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, paid an official visit to Italy on 19-20 May 2026. The visit, following Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Italy in June 2024 for the G7 Summit and Prime Minister Meloni’s visit to India for the G20 Summit in 2023, provided renewed momentum to the bilateral ties. The two leaders decided to elevate India-Italy relations to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership.

Political Dialogue

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the strong momentum of high-level exchanges and agreed to hold annual meetings of leaders including on the sidelines of multilateral events, as well as regular Ministerial and institutional-level meetings.

They appreciated the concrete progress achieved across the diverse pillars of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 adopted by the two leaders in their meeting during the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024. They agreed to establish Foreign Ministers-led mechanism to review the India-Italy Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-29 and provide strategic guidance to India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership.

Economic Cooperation and Investments

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing dynamism of bilateral economic and industrial cooperation, with three high level business fora held since the last year. Building on the opportunities arising from India’s rapid and consistent economic growth and the successful conclusion of the negotiations for the EU–India Free Trade Agreement, they reaffirmed the shared objective of expanding bilateral trade in both direction with aim to reach to € 20 billion by 2029.

They welcomed the increase of bilateral investments in key sectors and encouraged the respective industries to forge industrial and technology partnerships in order to build resilient supply chains. They welcomed the prospect of greater investments, particularly in textiles, clean technologies, semiconductors, automotive, energy, tourism, pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, digital technologies, critical raw materials, steel, ports and infrastructure. They encouraged industries to utilize the policy incentives and schemes in place in both countries which seek to enhance business linkages and production facilities.

Both Prime Ministers agreed to encourage dialogue and cooperation among stock exchanges, investment funds, venture capital, banks, insurance companies and financial institutions.

They agreed to facilitate industrial partnerships, including between SMEs, to foster deeper integration of supply chains. They encouraged new sectoral missions in the coming months in priority areas of mutual interest.

The two Prime Ministers welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in Critical Minerals. They agreed to further strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation in field of critical minerals by establishing a structured framework for collaboration, with particular emphasis on sustainability and resilient supply chains. They underscored the importance of promoting joint efforts in recovery of critical minerals from unconventional sources, including electronic waste and mine tailings, as an integral component of circular economy initiatives. They also expressed satisfaction on signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of agriculture and agricultural research between respective ministries and institutions.

Connectivity

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to cooperate on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), recognising its transformational potential in reshaping and promoting global trade, connectivity and prosperity. Appreciating the preliminary discussions around the project, they encouraged the first IMEC Ministerial meeting to take concrete steps for advancing this initiative in 2026.

They welcomed the signing of an MoU on maritime transport and ports and directed their respective ministries/departments to establish a joint working group to implement the MoU at the earliest.

Science, Technology, Innovation, Start-ups and Artificial Intelligence

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed that innovation, science and technology are core drivers of the India-Italy partnership.

They announced the creation of INNOVIT India, an innovation hub located in India aimed at strengthening cooperation between the respective innovation ecosystems, support startup acceleration programs, market access and business matching, joint research, university collaboration, and talent mobility in sectors including fintech, healthcare, semiconductors, logistics and supply chains, agritech, energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. Both leaders welcomed the inaugural Science and Innovation Dialogue between Indian and Italian universities and research centres held in Delhi in April 2025 and look forward to holding its next edition in Italy later this year.

Both leaders underlined the importance of an open, free, secure, stable, accessible and peaceful ICT environment, which is an enabler for innovation and economic growth. PM Modi thanked PM Meloni for Italy’s constructive participation in the AI Impact Summit that took place on 19th February 2026 in New Delhi. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a human-centric, secure, trustworthy and robust Artificial Intelligence. They agreed to collaborate in this domain including in third countries.

The two Prime Ministers placed particular emphasis on opportunities for cooperation in the field of supercomputing.

Building on the 2025–2027 Executive Program for Scientific Cooperation, they supported the implementation of joint projects and the facilitation of mobility of researchers in area of quantum technologies, renewable energy, green hydrogen and sustainable blue economy. They also welcomed the ongoing implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the field of scientific research and the launching of a joint call for proposals to fund research projects.

The two Prime Ministers acknowledged the longstanding scientific collaboration between the Indian Academia and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste and welcomed the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Indian Department of Science and Technology and the Elettra Sincrotrone center in Trieste, Italy in support of activities related to the access of synchrotron radiation facility at Elettra for Indian researchers.

Space

While appreciating the ongoing collaboration between Italian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation, the two leaders agreed to strengthen the partnership on Earth observation, heliophysics and space exploration, with focused thematic engagement and to explore cooperation on access to space and protection of space infrastructures. They expressed satisfaction with the recent reciprocal visits of their respective space industry delegations and looked forward to further promote commercial collaboration through exchanges of experts and joint initiatives also in third countries.

Defence

Both Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the deepening of defence cooperation including through Ministerial exchanges, service-to-service ties, port visits, and welcomed the adoption of a Joint Declaration of Intent and a Defence Industrial Roadmap which will promote partnerships for technological cooperation, co-production and co-development projects, including helicopters, naval platforms, marine armament and electronic warfare. They also recognized the importance of protecting critical infrastructures and their related supply chains through the strengthening of industrial resilience.

The two sides agreed to examine the feasibility of establishing an annual high level military structured dialogue, complementing the work of the Joint Defence Committee and the Military Cooperation Group, and to promote joint exercises and inter-force courses.

Both leaders agreed to launch a Dialogue on Maritime Security, with the aim of increasing maritime security cooperation, coordination, and the exchange of information and best practices in the maritime domain.

Security

The two leaders strongly condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross border terrorism. The two leaders strongly condemned the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and reiterated their commitment to cooperate in the fight against terrorists and terrorist groups and their affiliates including those listed in the UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions regime. They called upon all countries to continue to work towards eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and combating the financing of terrorism, consistent with the Financial Action Task Force’s guidelines. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to work together at the UN, FATF and other multilateral platforms.

Both leaders welcomed the first meeting of the Permanent Task Force between India and Italy on countering the financing of terrorism and the upcoming meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism.

Both leaders welcomed the conclusion of an MoU between the Italian Guardia di Finanza and the Directorate of Enforcement of India and looked forward to early conclusion of the Agreement on Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information and the Agreement on strengthening of Police Cooperation. They also welcomed the ongoing discussions on other agreements including Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.

Migration and Mobility

The two leaders agreed to enhance mobility of students, researchers and skilled workers, particularly in STEM sectors, and to expand cooperation on skills development, in line with the needs of the labour market, including through a specific Joint Declaration of Intent on the facilitation of mobility of nurses from India to Italy. In this context, they welcomed the ongoing discussions between relevant agencies on Social Security Agreement (SSA).

They welcomed the launch of "ICI - Italy Calls India: a University-Enterprise talent bridge” aimed at enhancing the talent of Indian students enrolled in Italian universities by offering concrete pathways for guidance, matching, and qualified integration into Italian enterprises.

They also discussed the possibility of strengthening the cooperation to fight against irregular migration, labour exploitation and human trafficking to ensure safe and legal migration.

Culture and Educational Exchanges

The two leaders highlighted culture as a key pillar of bilateral dialogue and welcomed the signing of an MoU regarding Italy’s participation in the development of the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal. They acknowledged the Indian National Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale in 2026. They expressed their intention to celebrate 2027 as the "Year of Culture and Tourism between Italy and India”, which will feature a broad calendar of initiatives, and pave the way to a major exhibition on ancient cultural relations between Italy and India to be co-organized by the two Ministries of Culture.

The two leaders encouraged the organization of an Italy–India Cultural Forum, bringing together institutions, experts, and representatives of the creative industries. The two leaders appreciated the launching of the twinning program between Indian and Italian sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the protection, enhancement and management of cultural heritage.

The two leaders agreed to further develop the film and audio-visual cooperation between the two Nations, building on the strength and innovative capacities of their industries and on the legal framework provided by the bilateral co-production agreement.

The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their intention to strengthening cooperation in higher education and welcomed the adoption of the Indo-Italian Roadmap on Higher Education and Research. Prime Minister Modi invited Italian universities and institutions of excellence to open campuses in India under India’s New Education Policy.

India-EU Relations

The Leaders welcomed the new Joint India–EU Comprehensive Strategic Agenda agreed at the India–EU Summit on 27 January 2026 and the conclusion of negotiations of the India–EU Free Trade Agreement which would elevate ties to a new level by enhancing market access, reducing trade barriers, and strengthening economic security and resilience through diversified value chains and new market opportunities.

They also reaffirmed their support for strengthening the India–EU Trade and Technology Council as a key platform for cooperation in trade, critical technologies, and economic security. The leaders welcomed the India–EU Security and Defence Partnership and appreciated progress in mobility cooperation, including the MoU on a Comprehensive Framework for Mobility.

Multilateral Cooperation

Both Leaders stressed the urgent need to reform the United Nations to make it more representative and suited to present-day realities.

Both Leaders emphasized the importance of working together in the United Nations and other global platforms including G20 to protect multilateralism and uphold a rules-based international order.

Recognizing the strategic priority both countries attach to Africa, the two Prime Ministers agreed to work together in trilateral initiatives with African partners in areas such as Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), agriculture, education, healthcare, artificial intelligence, connectivity and infrastructure and renewable energy in line with India’s development partnership in Africa and Italy’s Mattei Plan.

The Leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, in line with international law, including UNCLOS. They look forward to their continued partnership in Science and Technology and Academic cooperation pillar of Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiatives.

Both leaders expressed deep concern over the situation in the West Asia/the Middle East and its effects in the region as well as the rest of the world. The leaders welcomed the ceasefire announced on 8 April 2026 and underlined the importance of de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy for a lasting peace in the West Asia/the Middle East. They also called for freedom of navigation and the resumption of global flows through Strait of Hormuz.

Both leaders expressed concern over the ongoing war in Ukraine, which continues to cause immense human suffering and negative global consequences. They agreed to continue to support efforts towards the achievement of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the international law and the principles of the UN Charter.

Conclusion

Noting the impressive growth and deepening of India-Italy Special Strategic Partnership, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further expand cooperation across all sectors and continue close high-level consultations on key global and regional developments.

Prime Minister Modi thanked Prime Minister Meloni for the warm hospitality extended by the Government and the people of the Italian Republic and invited Prime Minister Meloni to visit India at a mutually convenient time.