Obama arrives in Mumbai

MUMBAI - US President Barack Obama has arrived in Mumbai on a high profile four-day visit during which he hopes to give a boost to economic ties with India.

He was received by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the ambassadors of India and the United States-Meera Shankar and Tim Roemer and Minister-in-waiting Salman Khursheed at the Chhattrapati Shivaji Airport here.

After descending from Air Force One, the Obamas boarded the Marine One helicopter to go into the city.

Obama, who will spend the night in Mumbai, will stay at the sea-side Taj hotel, the most prominent landmark that was attacked by Pakistani gunmen in November 2008.

The choice of Taj Hotel for his two-day stay in Mumbai, has been described by Obama as a “tribute to the resilience of the Indian people” and to underscore the shared commitment of the two countries to counter terrorism.

Obama will then visit the Gandhi Museum at Mani Bhawan to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi.

He will then attend a business summit organised by the US-India Business Council and participate in a roundtables with entrepreneurs and US CEOs.

He will also visit St Xavier’s College, where he will interact with students.

He will proceed to New Delhi tomorrow afternoon on the second and final leg of his visit.

In his departure statement in Washington last evening, Obama said he has set a goal of doubling America’s exports over the next five years.

Obama said: “I am going to talk about opening up additional markets in places like India, so that American businesses can sell more products abroad to create more jobs at home.”

Admitting that US is in the middle of a tough fight to get its economy growing faster, he said: “Businesses across the country can open and expand, so that people can find good jobs.”

“This will help repair the terrible damage that was done by the worst recession in our lifetimes,” he added. (ANI)