Mumbai – U.S. Consul General Thomas Vajda visited Surat and Vadodara on January 28-29, 2016 as part of his outreach in western India to support greater engagement between our two countries.
During what was his first visit to Surat, Consul General Vajda visited the Larsen & Toubro facility in Hazira, where he viewed the facilities and planted a tree on the factory grounds. He learned about Surat’s role in the global diamond trade at a local diamond processing and polishing facility. Before leaving Surat, the Consul General observed the “School Excellence Program”, which is supported by USAID and Kaivalya Foundation. The program is active in 266 primary schools across Surat and uses technology-based innovative tools to improve the reading skills of 120,000 underprivileged children.
On January 29, in Vadodara, the Consul General attended the inauguration of a new Lubrizol facility and visited the famous Lakshmi Vilas Palace to learn about the site’s history. Before returning to Mumbai, he met with U.S. exchange program alumni to hear about their good work and discuss opportunities for greater U.S.-India engagement.
Consul General Vajda’s visits to Surat and Vadodara highlight the U.S. government’s commitment to deepening people-to-people relationships and strengthening bilateral business and cultural ties with these important cities in western India.
