Akshardham tour, dinner with PM Modi: What's on US VP JD Vance's agenda during his India visit?

NEW DELHI: US Vice President JD Vance will arrive in India on Monday for his first visit to the country, along with his Indian-origin wife Usha Chilukuri Vance and their three children. The family will be in India for four days.

This trip comes amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade moves, including a 26% reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, as part of broader tariff announcements affecting countries worldwide.

The Vances will be welcomed in Delhi by a senior Union minister.

In a statement, the White House said, “Vice President J D Vance and the Second Family will travel to Italy and India from April 18 to 24. The VP will discuss shared economic and geopolitical priorities with leaders in each country."



Here's what's on agenda:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Vance for talks and a dinner on Monday evening at his official residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.

• The meeting with the Prime Minister is expected to cover progress on the India-US trade agreement and ways to deepen ties between the two countries. PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia on April 22–23, so his schedule is tight.

• PM Modi will host Vice President Vance for talks expected to focus on finalising the proposed India-US bilateral trade agreement and exploring ways to strengthen overall ties between the two countries.

• The Indian delegation, led by PM Modi, is likely to include external affairs minister Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, foreign secretary Vikram Misri, and Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, according to officials.

• Vance will be accompanied by at least five senior US officials, including representatives from the Pentagon and the State Department.

• Shortly after arriving, Vance and his family are expected to visit the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple and a market selling traditional Indian crafts.

• The Vance family will be staying at the ITC Maurya Sheraton hotel in Delhi.

• Later on Monday night, the Vances will travel to Jaipur, where they will stay at the luxurious Rambagh Palace, a former royal residence.

• On April 22, they will visit famous sites in Jaipur, including Amer Fort (also known as Amber Fort), a Unesco World Heritage Site.

• In the afternoon, Vice President Vance will speak at the Rajasthan International Centre, where he is expected to talk about India-US relations under the Trump administration. Diplomats, Indian officials, academics, and policy experts are likely to attend.

• The next day, April 23, the Vance family will travel to Agra to visit the iconic Taj Mahal and Shilpgram, an open-air market showcasing Indian art and crafts. They will return to Jaipur later that evening.

• The Vances are scheduled to fly back to the US from Jaipur on April 24.