Canadian PM Trudeau begins weeklong India visit

New Delhi, February 17 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday arrived in India for a weeklong visit, during which he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on wide-ranging issues, including defence and counter-terror cooperation.

Trudeau, accompanied by his wife and three children, will also visit Agra, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Amritsar. Officials said Trudeau's visit to Gujarat will be the first by a Canadian prime minister.

"Wheels up for India and a busy visit, focused on creating good jobs and strengthening the deep connection between the people of our two countries," Trudeau had tweeted yesterday before embarking on the trip.

During his visit, Trudeau will interact with business leaders, representatives of the film industry and students.

Trudeau is scheduled to visit Taj Mahal on February 18. He will be in Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad the next day. He will go to Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar and participate in an event at IIM-Ahmedabad.

On February 20, he will hold meetings with top business leaders and meet representatives of the Indian film industry in Mumbai.

On February 21, the Canadian prime minister will visit Golden Temple in Amritsar and return to Delhi the same day.

Trudeau is scheduled to visit Jama Masjid and a cricket ground here on February 22 besides delivering a lecture at a gathering of Canadian and Indian business leaders.

He will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on February 23 and address a conference of young change-makers on February 24.

The ties between India and Canada have been on an upswing. Approximately 1.4 million Canadians are of Indian heritage and India is Canada's second largest source of immigrants. — PTI