US House Speaker Paul Ryan’s decision of inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address  a joint meeting of Congress was welcomed by the lawmakers. After a decade, Modi will be the fifth prime minister of India to visit Congress and is the first announced foreign leader to address a joint meeting under Ryan’s speakership. Modi is all set to arrive in the US on June 8^th, 2016. The opportunity to address the House and the Senate are considered a great honor. The decision demonstrates the strength and strategic partnership ties between US and India. It presents an opportunity to energize efforts and bilateral ties to achieve joint economic, security and strategic goals that increase peace and prosperity.

Back in 2014, the then Speaker Boehner had invited Modi in September to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, however, that did not take place as the Congress was in recess ahead of the 2014 general elections for the Congress. Manmohan Singh was the last Indian Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the US congress way back in July, 2005. Other honorable prime ministers who addressed the Congress include Atal Bihari Vajpayee (September 14, 2000), P V Narasimha Rao (May 18, 1994) and Rajiv Gandhi (July 13, 1985). We can witness the dynamic growth and change in bilateral relationship between US-India since India’s independence in 1947 and it has grown tremendously.

As part of his itinerary, Modi may visit National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and new initiatives are likely to be announced. During his recent visit to Washington for the Nuclear Security Summit, a commercial agreement between Westinghouse Electric and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd to build six nuclear reactors in Gujarat was to be finalized and signed; this is expected to happen in his next visit in June.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third trip to the US for the Nuclear Security Summit has once again set ambitious goals for the two nations to deepen their bilateral ties. At the NSS dinner, Modi sat on the left side of President Obama in the East Room of the White House, and the duo exchanged some dialogues.

Modi began his speech at the Summit dinner by applauding President Obama’s sincere effort to address the issues of global security and nuclear terrorism. He said that terrorism is globally networked and nuclear security must remain an abiding national priority for every country. He also added that one country’s terrorist does not mean there’s no danger to another country; it is a collaborative effort of all nations to fight terrorism.

A glimpse into Modi’s itinerary includes a series of bilateral meetings with several leaders on the sideline including, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as well as President Obama, however, only one meeting has been officially announced, with Prime Minister of New Zealand, John Key.

In the year 2015, USINPAC partnered with News X to host two Television Round Table Conferences in San Francisco. The main topics of discussion were Modi’s vision “Make in India” and “Is India ready to go digital?” The ‘Make in India’ roundtable discussions were directly linked to creating tomorrow’s smart cities in India, developing best practices around innovation and entrepreneurship, enhancing Indo-US trade relations and deepening the Indian sectors’ integration into the global supply chain. The second round table conference aimed to address the issues on creating a powerful digital infrastructure in India, making all businesses go ‘online’ and enhancing overall digital literacy in the country.

In addition to the above events, USINPAC also hosted a Congressional Briefing on US-India Nuclear Trade in June last year. Several leaders of the Indian American community supported USINPAC to facilitate the congressional approval of the US-India 123 Agreement in 2008, which set the stage for the two nations to join forces together for civilian nuclear energy trade; the event took place at Capitol Hill, which witnessed immense support for the historic passage of the 2006 Hyde Act.

The final series of NSS will adopt a five-point action plan as an objective to the outcomes of the NSS initiative, which will involve International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN, Interpol, Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) and G-8 to reinforce global nuclear security against nuclear terrorism. India is an active member of three of four forums but is only a participating member of G-8, sometimes called G8+5. The “+5” refers to countries like Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

It is a matter of immense pride and joy among the Indian-American population when Nandita Bakhshi was appointed as the President and CEO of Bank of the West – a subsidiary of the French multinational bank, BNP Paribas, which is one of the largest banks in the world.

Bakhshi, 57 will replace her predecessor, Michael Shepherd, who will now take on the role of Chairman of a new holding company encompassing all U.S based BNP Paribas subsidiaries. She is said to officially take the reins as CEO and President on the 1^st of June 2016, after a month of training, scheduled to start on April 1. Nandita Bakhshi’s rich experience and leadership roles in top US banks like Washington Mutual (now JP Morgan Chase), TD Bank, Bank of America, First Data Corp, Home Savings of America and Banc One Corp has won her this spectacular achievement. She currently serves on the board of the Consumers Bankers Association and is the recipient of a New England News “Woman of the Year” award in 2002.

Head of International Retail Banking, BNP Paribas, Mr. Stefaan Decraene said “We are extremely pleased to welcome Nandita Bakhshi to Bank of the West. Her extensive experience in product and distribution, coupled with her visionary thinking, relentless customer focus and values-driven philosophy will serve us well in taking Bank of the West to greater heights.” BNP Paribas is set out to revamp its US operational strategy to meet new regulations. Michael Shepherd is all praises for the new President and CEO, “I am very pleased that Nandita Bakhshi is joining Bank of the West. Her energy, innovative ideas and proven record of accomplishments are a great combination with our strong franchise and corporate culture,” he added.

Nandita Bakhshi graduated with a Bachelor’s in History from University of Kolkatta and holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Jadavpur University, India. Her most recent leadership role was VP and Head of North America where she was responsible for driving innovation and improvising the digital channels to provide customers with a unified and seamless banking experience. On that note, USINPAC congratulates Nandita Bakhshi on her new endeavor and journey as CEO and President at Bank of the West. Cheers to that!