Climate change, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence are some of several areas in which Germany and India have agreed to boost cooperation. The countries' leaders kicked off talks by signing a range of agreements.
"We're encouraging our private sectors to give an impetus to our growing bilateral trade and Chancellor Merkel and I will meet some of the top business and industry leaders," Modi told a joint news conference.
Merkel is in India for a three-day visit. She was greeted by a guard of honor and will lay a wreath at a memorial ceremony for Mahatma Gandhi.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sat through the ceremony at the presidential palace due to ongoing health issuesImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Why is Merkel visiting India?
During her visit to the capital, Merkel will visit a Delhi metro station, which uses coaches manufactured by Berlin-headquartered Bombardier Transportation, as well as a German-Indian automotive components manufacturer on the outskirts of the city.
Merkel and Modi are also set to discuss trade and investment between the two countries as well as foreign policy and security.
"We want to further strengthen our bilateral relations, learn from India, but also place our technological developments in India," said Merkel.
In a video post earlier this week Merkel said she was looking forward to visiting Modi and having talks with him. Standing in front of German, Indian and EU flags she said it would give her the opportunity to speak over a wide range of areas about future issues.
Michaela Kuefner, DW's chief political editor who is traveling with Merkel, said the discussion with India will be conducted "always with a view on China" — India has complex economic and political relations with its neighbor and most populous nation in the world.
There will be an appetite for exchange, with Germany wanting to ensure it is one of the first partners when India decides to open its economy up further, and India looking to learn from Germany's education and training sectors, added Kuefner.
The talks are the fifth in a series of biennial bilateral summits between Germany and India. The high-level German delegation also includes Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner and Education Minister Anja Karliczek.
Germany is India's most important trading partner within the European Union. Bilateral trade totaled $21.9 billion (€19.6 billion) in the 2017-18 financial year, an increase of 17% from the previous year.
Hindus mark Diwali, the festival of lights
Millions of Hindus across India and the world are celebrating the "festival of lights." Mindful of pollution, Indian authorities are making attempts to cut down on the number of firecrackers and light shows.
Image: Reuters
Good over evil
The Diwali festival symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. It commemorates the return of the Hindu god Rama from a 14-year exile and his victory over the demon king Ravana, who had abducted his wife, Sita, according to Hindu scriptures.
Image: Reuters/D. Liyanawatte
Spectacular fireworks
For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and it is marked by bursting firecrackers throughout the night, decorating houses with colorful lights and performing traditional rituals such as offering prayers.
Image: AL9 - ArtLounge9
Expressing gratitude
In many regions of India, Diwali also marks the end of the harvest season and farmers use the occasion to express their gratitude towards the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. People also offer prayers to the Hindu god Ganesh. Every year, on the eve of Diwali, families gather for the spectacular fireworks displays held all over the country.
Image: DW/J. Akhtar
Row of lights
The festival begins with the lighting of candles and oil lamps, called "diyas." Diwali is a contraction of the word "Deepavali", which means row of lights in Sanskrit. Streets and houses are decorated with colorful lights and people typically buy gold, including jewelry, coins and small statues of the elephant-headed Ganesh ahead of the festivities.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Kanojia
Guinness world record
The Indian city of Ayodhya on Saturday, October 26, 2019, set a Guinness world record by illuminating 409,000 oil lamps on the banks of river Sarayu as part of Diwali.
Image: Reuters/P. Kumar
Environmental-friendly Diwali?
Massive fireworks across India add to the environmental pollution. This year, Indian authorities hope to reduce the environmental damage with low-emission firecrackers and light shows. But the plan has hurt some businesses associated with the Diwali festival.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Swarup
Celebrated across the world
Diwali is celebrated not only in India, where more than 80% of the people identify themselves as Hindus, but also in other countries with large Hindu populations such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore. Here, a group of Hindu devotees in Brussels, celebrate Diwali near Atomium area.
