Obama is Here

For the convenience of all my friends in the U.S.A., your President Barack Obama is here in India. He arrived on Saturday morning Indian time, in the financial capital of India, Mumbai and then moved on to Delhi for meetings with the President and Prime Minister of India. Statistically speaking:

• The President's entourage included over 240 businessmen from the U.S. The U.S. government
• This is the longest that the U.S. President has stayed outside the United States in a single country!
• He signed business deals worth over 10 billion USD, which is expected to create 54,000 jobs in the U.S.
• In Mumbai he stayed at the Taj Hotel which was attacked during the Mumbai terrorist attack.
• The U.S. has removed controls on India for transfer and use of dual-use nuclear technology (which means, nuclear technology and products that can be used for both energy and nuclear weaponry)
• Several Indian defense related organisations have been removed from the export controls of the U.S. so that these organisations can trade with U.S. companies
• The President announces that, India has emerged as a key player in the globe, against hitherto remarks, "India is emerging as a global player".
• An U.S. navy ship, several navy boats, armed men, 8 dogs, and of course the Air Force One, the presidential cadillac were all brought from the U.S. besides the unprecedented air, navy and ground security given by the Indian government.
• Cost of the entire travel: according to media reports, it is 900 crores per day x 3 days. In other words, the U.S. government spent 240 million dollars each day, and so over 750 million dollar is said to have been spent on the President's visit to India.
• He also announced that the U.S. would support India's bid to have permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
• He mentioned that "safe havens in Pakistan for terrorists" must be dismantled, and refused to internationalize the Kashmir dispute bringing cheers to the Indian media.

No one knows, exactly how much did India spend on the President's visit.

Let us end this post on a lighter note. Lot of people in Mumbai and Delhi visited the airports to see the Air Force One. When they were asked why they were so interested in the hi-tech plane, one of them said, "because his Presidential carrier has been better than his career" as President. Another joke says: President Obama will never visit Bangalore. Because, it says, "those buggers in Bangalore will force him to outsource even his presidency, that too at $ 10 per hour!"