The Indian contingent at the Swiss ski resort town of Davos brimmed with confidence at the World Economic Forum annual meeting yet again, after a gap of nearly two-and-a-half years. A delegation of Indian ministers led by Union Minister Piyush Goyal participated in WEF 2022 in Davos. The event started on May 22 and concluded on May 26.
This year, the forum hosted discussions on the topic related to the Ukraine crisis, climate change, fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting more investments and a host of other issues affecting the world. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri attended a breakfast session with Indian diaspora. “We discussed ways to channelise their social capital to promote philanthropy and entrepreneurship to benefit India,” said Puri in a tweet. “India is moving faster than any other country towards a green transition.
We are taking advantage of the current energy crisis to accelerate this transition,” he added.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal held a meeting with IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna. The minister took to social media to share his meeting with the IBM chief. They discussed potential areas and opportunities for investment in emerging technologies to give further impetus to India’s transformative journey towards becoming a global hub for artificial intelligence.
The Indian Government delegation included Mansukhlal Mandaviya, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Chemicals & Fertilisers, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas, Housing & Urban Affairs, and chief ministers and senior ministers of six states, viz. Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana, and senior officials. Several senior industry leaders, including Hari S. Bhartiya, Amit Kalyani, Rajan Bharti Mittal, Ronnie Screwvala, and Salil S. Parekh, also participated in the WEF deliberations.
The event helped reinforce India’s position as an essential and relevant stakeholder in shaping the global narrative, particularly as it assumes the presidency of the G-20 in 2023. The WEF was also a platform to project India as an attractive investment destination in view of its robust economic growth and stable macroeconomic indicators.
This year coincided with the World Economic Forum’s 50th anniversary and 35 years of the Forum’s collaboration with India, providing an opportunity for India to showcase its unified presence, including the Centre and states. To mark the 75 years of Independence and ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, DPIIT had taken the initiative to have a consolidated marquee India presence at the World Economic Forum, to increase India’s exposure and be a single point of reference for all attendees looking to explore investment opportunities in India.
In line with the Government’s priorities, sessions were organised at the India Lounge keeping in mind India’s strategic advantage, existing and upcoming incentive architecture, industry investment potential and market opportunity. The key topics addressed during the sessions included policy and ease-of-doing business reforms, energy transition, digital economy, opportunities in National Monetisation 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.
The World Economic Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural, and other society leaders to shape global, regional, and industry agendas Over five days, Invest India organised several roundtables and panel discussions to deliberate on key sectors such as policy and investment, renewable energy, infrastructure, healthcare, medical devices, and trade.
WEF was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests. The Forum strives in all its efforts to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while upholding the highest standards of governance. Moral and intellectual integrity is at the heart of everything it does.
