Thank you, Chief Minister Rao, for that kind introduction.  On behalf of the United States, and the 150 other countries represented in this room, thank you for hosting The Global Entrepreneurship Summit here in Hyderabad – a city that is quickly emerging as the innovation hub of India. And thank you, Prime Minister Modi, for joining us here today – and for all that you are doing to build India as a thriving economy – a beacon of democracy – and a symbol of hope to the world.

And that is why I am proud to be here to inaugurate this new water kiosk. Working alongside our partners at the Safe Water Network, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, and Honeywell, this project will provide an additional 3,000 people with access to clean, safe, affordable drinking water. Over the next year, this collaboration will install 50 kiosks around Hyderabad to provide another 150,000 people with access to potable drinking water.

Development goals, poverty relief, improvements in global health, stronger food security increasingly depend upon more collaboration between agencies like USAID and the private sector. That's why the Global Entrepreneurship Summit is not just about business for business's sake. But also about how private entrepreneurship and private research drive development outcomes, lifting lives.

As we launch the “Road to GES: U.S. Series” in communities throughout the nation, we aim to share first-hand the best practices of the U.S. start-up ecosystem and the innovation and new perspectives of Indian entrepreneurs that can generate new approaches to 21st century problem sets and contribute to job growth and prosperity in both our countries.