Jaipur:
US Vice President JD Vance, who is on a four-day India trip, has arrived in Jaipur along with his family, where he visited Amber Fort–a UNESCO World Heritage Site– on Tuesday. During his stay in the Pink City, the US Vice President and his family are also likely to visit other popular monuments like Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar and meet dignitaries, including the Chief Minister and Governor of Rajasthan.
The US Vice President, his wife Usha Vance, and their three children — Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel — are staying at Hotel Rambagh Palace. The luxurious hotel has hosted several dignitaries and celebrities in the past, including Hollywood and Bollywood actors.
Vance is scheduled to deliver a lecture on US-India relations at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) later in the day, which will be attended by diplomats, Indian officials, academics, and policy experts.
He is also likely to meet with the Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagade.
Tight security arrangements have been put in place across Jaipur for the vice president’s visit. A Rajasthan government official told news agency PTI that Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reviewed the preparations for the visit in a meeting on Saturday.
The official said the Vance family will be welcomed in traditional Rajasthani style by two elephants-named Chanda and Pushpa– who have been trained at Hathi Gaon near Amber for their welcome.
The Amber Fort palace was closed to visitors for 24 hours from 12 noon on Monday to ensure strict security measures for the US Vice President’s visit. One of the top tourist attractions of the Pink City, the 16th-century fort sits atop a small hill, about 11 km from the main city. It is an extensive palace complex built with pale yellow and pink sandstone and white marble.
The Vance family will leave for Agra on Wednesday morning and then return to Jaipur in the afternoon, as he is scheduled to visit the City Palace here. They will depart for the US early Thursday morning.
Vance, who arrived in India on Monday, held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi yesterday. The two leaders discussed ways to enhance cooperation in areas of defence, energy and technologies.
PM Modi also hosted the Vance family over dinner at his 7 Lok Kalyan Marg residence after the official talks.
