New Delhi | Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met several well-known global names figures from different fields, including politics and academia, at the NXT Conclave and shared thoughts with them.

Expressing happiness at the meetings, he praised their contributions in their respective fields in posts on X.

He said, "Delighted to meet my good friend and former Australian PM, Mr. Tony Abbott. He has always been a friend of India's. We have all seen him enjoy millets during his current visit." Modi met former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and said he always looked forward to their interactions and has admired his perspective on various issues.

Among those he also met were Carlos Montes and Jonathan Fleming.

Montes has made rich contributions to furthering social innovations and has been appreciative of India's strides in digital technology, FinTech and more, Modi said.

Fleming, who is associated with the MIT Sloan School of Management, has done exemplary work in both public and private sectors.

Ann Liebert's work in treating Parkinson's disease is commendable and will ensure a better quality of life for several people in the times to come, Modi said after meeting her.

He also met astronaut former NASA astraunaut Mike Massimino, Russian astraunaut Oleg Artemyev, innovation expert Alec Ross, noted physicist Brian Greene and Vesselin Popovski, an expert on international relations and geo politics.