Overview
- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mumbai with First Lady Brigitte Macron for a three‑day visit, with a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled at 3:15 pm at Lok Bhavan.
- Officials expect close to a dozen agreements to be signed after the talks, with MoUs spanning defence, trade, skilling, health and supply chains, followed by a press statement.
- Modi and Macron will jointly inaugurate the India–France Year of Innovation 2026 in Mumbai, with an innovation forum at the Taj Mahal Palace and a cultural event at the Gateway of India.
- On defence, India’s Defence Acquisition Council has cleared Acceptance of Necessity for a proposal to procure 114 Rafale jets; a government‑to‑government package is under negotiation, with reports indicating 18 aircraft in fly‑away condition and the remainder to be built in India with significant indigenous content.
- After the Mumbai leg, Macron will take part in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where both sides aim to deepen work on trustworthy AI and expand cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, semiconductors, green energy and Indo‑Pacific coordination under the Horizon 2047 roadmap.