Paris: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday pay homage to the 10,000 Indian soldiers who were killed during World War I and attend a reception by the Indian community.
A day after announcing to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in fly-away condition from France, the PM will begin the second day of his two-day France visit by visiting Toulouse, in southern France, where he will go to the Airbus facility and discuss ways of further cooperation, including in transfer of technology and investments.
He will also visit the French space agency CNES.
Modi will later drive down to Lille to visit the Neuve Chapelle war memorial to pay homage to the 10,000 Indian soldiers who were killed during World War I.
He will then return to Paris and attend a reception by the Indian community and also meet former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
On April 12, the Prime Minister will fly to Hannover in Germany to attend the Hannover Messe fair that has India as the partner country. On April 14, he will arrive in Canada.
Friday was quite an eventful day for the PM, who held talks with French President Francois Hollande here and inked 17 agreements.
The Rafale deal was the biggest takeaway in the talks between Modi and Hollande. India had shortlisted Rafale, made by Dassault Aviation, in a USD 20 billion deal for purchase of 126 fighter jets for the MMRCA project in 2012. However, the final deal has not been inked.
During the talks, Hollande also voiced support to India for a permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Both sides also urged for early conclusion of techno-commercial discussions on the proposal for construction of six 1650 Mwe nuclear power plants at Jaitapur, with due consideration to project viability and in the framework of an ambitious partnership for large and critical components, the joint statement said. The two also urged their atomic energy establishments to lay an ambitious foundation for the future of India-France civil nuclear cooperation, including a wide range of subjects, including in the area of civil nuclear liability.
Modi also went on a boat ride on the Seine river with Hollande and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius after conclusion of their talks.
Both sides 17 agreements, including in the field of civil nuclear energy, railways and space, and three Letters of Intent.
Earlier, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the morning, after which he attended two back-to-back meetings with CEOs where `Make in India` was the focus.
He also visited the UNESCO headquarters in Paris where he spoke of the Indian government's commitment to ensure that every citizen, faith, culture and creed has an equal place in society.
(With Agency inputs)
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