Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk as a "supporter of India" ahead of Musk's highly anticipated visit to India later this month.
In an interview with ANI, the Prime Minister was asked about Musk's visit to India and how the Tesla CEO is a "fan" of Modi.
"Elon Musk being a supporter of Modi is one thing, but basically he is a supporter of India," PM Modi said.
PM Modi added that this won't be the first time he will meet Musk, recalling how he visited the Tesla CEO's factory back in 2015.
"He was not there at that time. But he cancelled all his plans to meet me ... he shared his vision with me," PM Modi said.
PM Modi also said that over the last 10 years, India has seen a spurt in investment from across the world.
He illustrated his point by highlighting the growth of Electrical Vehicle (EVs) market in India, saying that just 2,000 EVs were sold in the country in 2014-15 and the number has risen to 12 lakh in 2023-24.
"That clearly means that charging station network has been established, policy has been shaped. We told the world that India is moving fast in the direction of adopting EVs ... they should come and manufacture here," he said.
PM Modi said that no matter who invests in India, the beneficiaries should be Indians.
"I want investment in India. Paisa kisi ka bhi laga ho, paseena mere desh ka lagna chahiye, uske andar sugandh mere desh ki mitti ki aani chahiye, taaki mere desh ke naujawan ko rozgar mile (Whoever wishes to invest can do so, but it must be built by Indians so that the youth of my country get employment)," PM Modi said.
PM Modi's latest remarks comes ahead of Musk's visit to India in April.
Earlier, Musk said on X that he is looking forward to meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Musk is likely to make an announcement on plans to invest and open a new factory in the country, two sources with direct knowledge said.
The two sources added that the billionaire will see PM Modi in New Delhi during the week of April 22 and will unveil his plans for India separately.
When Musk and Modi last met in June in New York, Tesla was considering building a factory in India and spent months lobbying that country to reduce import levies on electric cars.
India announced a new EV policy last month that will reduce import duties on some models from 100 percent to 15 percent provided a company spends at least $500 million and establishes a facility.
During his visit, which is expected to last around 48 hours, Musk may also unveil plans to start Starlink services in India, sources had told CNBC-TV18 on April 12.
Starlink is the satellite network developed by SpaceX to provide low-cost internet.
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