UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai on the first day of his three-day visit to India. Accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, Guterres laid a wreath at the 26/11 attacks memorial at the hotel. It is the UN chief’s first visit to India since his second term began in January. He previously visited the country in October 2018 during his first term in the top job.
Guterres landed in Mumbai shortly after midnight on Wednesday on a commercial flight from London. On his arrival, he was welcomed by senior government officials of Maharashtra. He later went to the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in south Mumbai, where he paid tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terrorist attacks. In 2008, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was one of the targets of the horrific terrorist attacks on 26/11.
Before flying to Gujarat, Guterres will deliver a public address at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai on “India @75: UN-India Partnership: Enhancing South-South Cooperation”. The UN Secretary General will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event related to the LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) mission in Gujarat’s Kevadia on October 20.
His visit to the country comes more than a week ahead of a two-day meeting of the UN Security Council’s counter-terrorism committee in India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will hold bilateral talks with Guterres on issues of global concern, steps to deepen India’s engagement at the UN, including through the country’s upcoming G20 presidency.
At Kevadiya, Guterres is expected to pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity, the MEA said, adding that he will also visit the country’s first solar village in Modhera (Gujarat) and other development projects in the area. The UN secretary-general will also visit the Sun Temple in Modhera before departing from Mumbai for Singapore late on Thursday, the official said.
Read Now :The MHA’s 800-page gazette notification said the number of wards in Delhi will now be 250
