NEW DELHI: Union minister of commerce and industry Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland from May 23 to 25 as India marks 35 years of collaboration with the Forum.
The Indian delegation will include the Union minister of health and family welfare, chemicals and fertilizers, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister for petroleum and natural gas, housing and urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Chief Ministers and senior ministers from Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana.
Apart from government officials, several business delegates including Hari S Bhartiya, Amit Kalyani, Rajan Bharti Mittal, Ronnie Screwvala and Salil S Parekh would also be participating in the global geo-economics conclave.
Briefing the Indian delegation, prior to his visit, Goyal said, “This event would further help reinforce India’s position as an important and relevant stakeholder in shaping the global narrative, particularly as India assumes the presidency of the G-20 in 2023.”
“The WEF will also be a platform to project India as an attractive investment destination in view of its robust economic growth and stable macroeconomic indicators,” he added.
This year also marks the World Economic Forum’s 50th anniversary.
Meanwhile, India has taken a few special initiatives to mark its presence at the Forum. A special lounge called India Lounge is set up, where discussion on a broad range of issues including policy and ease of doing business reforms, energy transition, digital economy, opportunities in National Monetization Pipeline, India as an entrepreneurial destination shaping the unicorn story, growing talents in the digital space, emphasis on innovation and research in the healthcare ecosystem will be addressed.
In his return from Davos, Goyal will stopover in the UK for two days on May 26-27 to take forward Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with British government functionaries as well as business leaders.
The FTA is expected to be effective by the festive season of Diwali 2022. Once the FTA is finalized, bilateral trades between two countries will be liberalized and businesses will have more hassle-free access to each other’s market.