France President emmanuel Macron visited India with his two-day schedule to meet PM Modi
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in India as the Republic Day chief guest, was left amazed by India’s UPI system that was used for making a payment for a tea which he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed near Jaipur’s Hawa Mahal.
Chai with PM Modi, paid through UPI, ‘unforgettable’ memory for President Macron
NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Delhi for the Republic Day parade, where he will be the chief guest, on Thursday. He will start his two-day state visit to India from Jaipur, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas like defense, space, and civil nuclear to the Indo-Pacific.
When he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi drank a cup of tea in Jaipur, French President Emmanuel Macron fell in love with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a digital payment system.
Macron was this year’s Republic Day chief guest and was in India for two days as part of a state visit.
Speaking at President Droupadi Murmu’s official reception for him at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Macron used the Hindi word for tea, “chai,” to express that he would “not forget” his time spent with Prime Minister Modi.
French President Emmanuel Macron was smitten with the Unified Payments Interface (UPI),
Modi will receive Macron in Jaipur and the two leaders will also participate in a road show. They will visit tourist attractions like Ambar Fort, Hawa Mahal, and Jantar Mantar. The 1.5 km roadshow will begin at Jantar Mantar and end at Sanganeri Gate where the two leaders are expected to have a brief chat over tea.
The fact that this will be the sixth time that the French leader will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration, more than the leaders of any other country, underlines the significance India attaches to the strategic partnership with France that remains unmarred by any sticking point. Macron will be accompanied by a high-level delegation that will include Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne and Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu.
The tea we had together beside the palace (Hawa Mahal) is something I will never forget. The tea was purchased with UPI. This encapsulates everything that makes it so unique: the warmth and camaraderie of the celebration, together with tradition and innovation. Together, we aim to accomplish this,” Macron remarked.
PM Modi and Macron were shown chatting while enjoying tea from a kulhad, or earthen cup, outside a store close to Hawa Mahal in a video that the BJP tweeted. PM Modi was observed using UPI to pay for the tea after it was served.
The leaders are expected to discuss international issues like the conflicts in west Asia and Ukraine. Some progress is also expected in ongoing negotiations for mega defence deals like the procurement of Rafale Marine aircraft and Scorpene submarines by India.
Apart from the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project, the countries are also working on establishing a partnership for low and medium-power modular reactors or small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors.
With the UPI system, customers may access a variety of banking services, transfer money easily between bank accounts, and pay retailers with a single smartphone application. Peer-to-peer collect requests are also made easier by it; they can be paid for and scheduled at the user’s convenience.
PM Modi announced that Indian tourists visiting France in July of last year would soon be able to make payments using UPI.
“UPI will be used in France as agreed upon by India and France. The Prime Minister announced that Indian tourists would now be able to make payments in rupees starting in the next few days, starting at the Eiffel Tower.