Merkel flies into Bengaluru; visits Bosch on Tuesday

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived here on Monday night from New Delhi with a large delegation to visit the facility of German automotive major Bosch in this tech hub on Tuesday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah greeted Merkel on her arrival at the Kempe Gowda international airport with a shawl and a bouquet of flowers.

"The state government gave a red carpet welcome to Merkel and her delegation on landing by a special aircraft from Delhi," an official told IANS.

State Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, Director General of Police Om Prakash, city Police Commissioner N.S. Megharik and top officials from the German embassy were present on the occasion.

The 61-year-old Merkel, who has been chancellor since 2005 and leader of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, is on a three-day official visit to India since Sunday and held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Modi in Delhi earlier in the day.

Modi will join Merkel on Tuesday for a first-hand view of the Bosch facility and interact with its executives on innovation and research to help the government to promote 'Make in India' and 'Digital India'.

Later, both leaders will participate at an IT event organised by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom).

Merkel will leave for Germany on Tuesday after a luncheon session with Modi.