Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Delhi on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, with both leaders underlining the depth of the India-France partnership.

Before the meeting, Macron lauded India’s digital transformation and its evolving role in global technology governance during his address at the summit, calling the country’s progress a benchmark for others.

The personal warmth between the two leaders was evident during Macron’s fourth visit to India since PM Modi’s trip to Marseille. Macron said ties between India and France extend beyond traditional friendship and reflect a strategic bond that has evolved over the past 26 years.

Responding to a question on the nature of the bilateral partnership and the Rafale fighter jet agreement, the French President described it as a “global strategic partnership”, suggesting that the relationship operates at a higher level than a conventional strategic arrangement.

Macron referred to the agreement involving 114 Rafale fighter jets and also highlighted the helicopter deal with Airbus, noting that the final assembly line is located in Karnataka.

Artificial intelligence was another key theme of the discussions. While Macron spoke about the transformative potential of AI, he also cautioned against associated risks. He referred to a proposal under consideration in France to restrict social media access for those under 15.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had earlier mentioned at a press conference that India is also examining regulatory measures related to AI access for young people.

With the upcoming G7 Summit scheduled in the coming months, PM Modi is expected to travel for the meeting, where another interaction between the two leaders is likely.

Macron and his wife arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday as part of their India visit. They were received at the airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The delegation later travelled to Delhi for the summit engagements.

The visit reflects continued momentum in the India-France strategic partnership, with growing focus on defence collaboration, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Jay Pawar, the younger son of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, has called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the plane crash near Baramati that claimed his father’s life along with four others on January 28.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Jay Pawar raised concerns over what he described as “possible serious lapses” that may have led to the fatal accident. He asserted that the aircraft’s black box is not easily destroyed and stressed that people of Maharashtra deserve to know the complete truth behind the crash.

Demand for action against aviation company

The ill-fated Learjet 45XR aircraft was operated by VSR Ventures Private Limited. Jay Pawar urged authorities to conduct a detailed probe into the firm’s operations and sought a ban on the aviation company pending investigation.

“A detailed investigation of possible serious lapses and irregularities of the aircraft firm should be done in a detailed and impartial manner,” he said.

The crash occurred near the Baramati airstrip, resulting in the deaths of Ajit Pawar and four others.

Call for CBI probe and sabotage allegations

Jay Pawar’s statement came a day after Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the accident.

Separately, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar alleged there was reason to suspect sabotage in the crash and called for a multi-agency investigation involving experts.

During a press conference last week, Rohit Pawar also questioned the past record of Captain Sumit Kapoor, who was piloting the aircraft on the day of the crash. He referred to the pilot’s previous three-year suspension for alcohol consumption.

AAIB seeking support to retrieve CVR data

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting a detailed probe into the crash. According to the agency, special technical assistance has been sought to retrieve data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the Learjet 45 aircraft involved in the accident.

The investigation is ongoing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today.

He will participate in the opening ceremony at around 9:40 am and is scheduled to address the gathering at approximately 10:25 am. The inaugural session is expected to include addresses by French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, along with leading figures from the global technology and industry sectors.

Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister is expected to visit the India AI Impact Expo 2026 at around 11 am with other leaders, where various country pavilions will be showcased.

118 countries participating in summit

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in his welcome address, said the summit has drawn participation from 118 countries.

Describing artificial intelligence as a foundational technology, he said AI is transforming how people work, learn and make decisions. The minister outlined five layers of the AI stack — Application, Model, Compute, Infrastructure and Energy — and said India is working across all these layers to democratise technology and ensure its benefits reach the masses.

Leaders’ plenary and CEO roundtable scheduled

The Prime Minister will participate in the Leaders’ Plenary around noon. The session will bring together heads of state, ministers and senior representatives from multilateral institutions to discuss governance, infrastructure and international cooperation in artificial intelligence.

Later in the evening, from 5:30 pm onwards, he will attend a CEO roundtable. The meeting will convene senior executives from global technology and industry firms along with government leadership to deliberate on investment, research collaboration, supply chains and deployment of AI systems.

Bill Gates to skip keynote address

Meanwhile, the Gates Foundation said Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the summit today.

The organisation said it has decided that Mr Gates will not speak to ensure focus remains on the summit’s key priorities. The foundation will instead be represented by Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, who is scheduled to speak later during the event.

The foundation reiterated its commitment to advancing shared health and development goals in India.

Theme of the summit

The six-day summit began on February 16 and is being held under the theme “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” (welfare for all, happiness of all).

This is the fourth annual international AI-focused gathering, following previous meetings held in the United Kingdom in 2023, South Korea in 2024 and France in 2025.

The exhibition remains closed to the general public today. To compensate for the closure, the government has extended the expo by an additional day and it will remain open until Saturday, February 21.