नवीनतम
French Prez Macron concludes Mumbai visit
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: French President Emmanuel Macron, along with First Lady Brigitte Macron, left Mumbai for New Delhi on Wednesday after concluding his engagements here, including bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They were seen off at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
On Tuesday, Macron held discussions with Modi as part of efforts to further strengthen India-France strategic ties.
During the Mumbai visit, the French president and his wife also met some of India's top filmmakers and actors, and had an animated exchange with them about cinema, culture and collaboration.
Macron has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the 52nd G7 Summit, which will be presided over by France in 2026. In a press statement in Mumbai, Mr Macron called for an ad hoc meeting between India and France to reach an agreement on the international agenda ahead of the G7 Summit in Evian.
Noting the acceleration for partnership, as India will chair the BRICS Summit while France chairs the G7 group, he called for a moment of innovation for the youth of both countries. The G7 Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the US, the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, and the European Union. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the summit on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation.
Yesterday, PM Modi and Macronjointly launched the India-France Innovation Forum 2026 in Mumbai, describing it as a testament to the deep partnership, shared democratic values and growing collaboration between the two nations in science, technology and entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the event, Modi announced that India and France will designate 2026 as the “India-France Year of Innovation.” He said the initiative reflects a collective resolve to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies and future-focused sectors.
Modi noted that the coming year would see expanded exchanges between innovators, researchers and businesses from both countries. As part of the initiative, India will host programmes to deepen industry-level collaboration, while France will stage “India Innovates 2026,” a platform where leading Indian startups will present cutting-edge solutions addressing global concerns such as healthcare, climate change and security.
Highlighting India’s entrepreneurial growth, the Prime Minister said the country has rapidly evolved into the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem. He credited the Startup India programme for accelerating this transformation, pointing out that the number of Indian unicorns has risen dramatically over the past decade—from just four in 2014 to more than 120 today.
Modi also underlined the achievements of the Atal Innovation Mission, which completes ten years on February 24. He described it as one of the largest grassroots innovation movements globally, with over 10,000 Tinkering Labs engaging more than 10 million students. The mission, he said, is supported by numerous incubators and education-technology ventures, and he encouraged industry leaders to actively participate in its expansion.
Looking ahead, Modi emphasised that innovation will be central to India’s ambition of becoming a developed nation. He said this year’s Union Budget places special focus on strengthening the innovation ecosystem, including setting up content creator labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges. He added that the government is pursuing mission-mode initiatives in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology, semiconductors and clean energy, while encouraging innovation across sectors including textiles, chemicals, sports goods, precision engineering, electronics and infrastructure.
The Prime Minister also highlighted India’s growing prominence in women-led research and entrepreneurship, describing it as a matter of national pride.
