New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his address at the 74th session of UN General Assembly here on Friday.

The government had previously outlined that the Prime Minister will not mention the Kashmir issue at all during the address, in view that the revocation of Article 370 is India's internal matter. This is the Prime Minister's maiden speech at the UN General Assembly after assuming office for the second term. He had last addressed the gathering four years ago, with former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj representing India at the world body in the subsequent years.

The 69th session of the UNGA had witnessed the Indian Prime Minister calling for the early adaptation of the Comprehensive Convention on Global Terrorism, highlighting that it was a matter that had been pending for long. He had made it clear that India wanted to pursue bilateral talks with Pakistan in an environment of peace, free from the shadow of terror.

Modi's address at the UN comes on the final day of his week-long visit to the US. The leader had a packed agenda of bilaterals amongst other engagements, beginning with the mega "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston event that witnessed him sharing the stage with US President Donald Trump before a crowd of more than 50,000 Indian-Americans.

Modi was also honoured with the Global Goalkeeper Award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his contributions to the cleanliness drive and efforts to improve access to sanitation in India through Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. He also met the CEOs of top global companies, including Boeing, Shell and Walmart, during the past week.