File Photo: US Ambassador to India Richard Verma.
The United States Ambassador to India, Richard Verma, on Thursday wrapped up his two-day visit to Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts.
During his visit to the Indian School of Business in Mohali, the Ambassador discussed innovation with students and was impressed by their dynamism as well as by the school's state-of-the-art campus.
The Ambassador also focused on the great potential of the US-India commercial relationship and met a group of local business leaders in Ludhiana today, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and toured the Hero Cycles factory for an on-the-ground look at a "great example of India manufacturing."
While in Chandigarh, Mr Verma had the opportunity to experience a different type of innovation at late Nek Chand's Rock Garden where industrial waste materials have been transformed into creative sculptures throughout the beautiful 40-acre garden, a US Embassy release said.
With US having a vast collection of Nek Chand's work, Verma, who was 'awestruck' on seeing the garden, commented: "Stunning example of turning industrial waste into a thing of beauty".
In the area of health partnerships and innovation, the Ambassador visited the prestigious Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research at Chandigarh, where he learned more about the important work of the Institute and its collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The Ambassador recognized the "great strides that the US-India partnership has made in the areas of public health research and program development," and lauded the "expansion of efforts into this area of the country."
He concluded his trip with a visit to Apra, the home of his father in Jalandhar district.
On his visit to Apra, Mr Verma "felt nostalgic meeting his family in Apra", where his father was born and brought up.
He noted, "It was an honour to visit my father's home in the Punjabi village of Apra today. We were warmly welcomed by relatives, friends and government officials who showed us such wonderful hospitality.
"We are so grateful to the people of Apra not only for their warmth and affection today, but for their strong and loyal support of my father, who spent his formative years there.? We are so proud of these roots and look forward to returning again to Punjab soon."
After arriving here yesterday, Ambassador Verma started the trip by meeting with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar which focused on entrepreneurship and the recent agreement with United Technologies (UTC) to expand operations in Haryana.
He also met with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and had a constructive discussion on a range of political and economic issues, including the upcoming Progressive Punjab Investors Summit.