US ‘okays’ sale of 22 Guardian drones to India

Washington/New Delhi, June 22

The US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India, sources said today, a deal being termed as a “game changer” ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit here for his maiden meeting with President Donald Trump.

The deal, estimated to be worth $2-3 billion, has been approved by the State Department, sources said. The decision has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department yesterday.

Sources, who requested anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced, said the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is "a game changer" for US-India relations as it operationalises the status of "major defence partner".

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The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.

PM to discuss jobs with CEOs

PM Narendra Modi is all set to leave for his three-nation tour starting June 24. After a stopover in Portugal, the PM will land in Washington DC on June 25.

He will attend a CEO Forum on June 25 where top American CEOs of companies such as Walmart, Apple and Caterpillar will be present. The economic aspect of the bilateral relationship is one area where India plans to push forward during the visit and the forum presents that ideal opportunity.

Apple's Tim Cook, Walmart's Doug McMillon, Caterpillar's Jim Umpleby, Google's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Pepsi's Indra Nooyi and MasterCard chief Ajay Banga are some of the heavyweights that are likely to attend the forum. — PTI/TNS