Piyush Goyal to lead Indian delegation at World Economic Forum, Davos

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal will lead the Indian team at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos from May 22 to 26.

The annual meet of the WEF, a Geneva-based international organisation working towards an array of global issues, will take place in a physical form for the first time since January 2020. Last year, the event took place virtually given the pandemic situation. The WEF, which was to be held earlier this year, was delayed to May due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

The Indian government’s delegation will include Mansukhlal Mandaviya, minister of health and family welfare, chemicals and fertilisers, and Hardeep Singh Puri, minister for petroleum and natural gas, housing and urban affairs. Chief ministers and senior ministers of six states — Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana — will also be part of the delegation along with senior officials.

Sunil Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries, Gautam Adani, chairman and founder of the Adani Group, Kumarmangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Roshni Nadar Malhotra, chairperson, HCL Technologies, Pawan Munjal, chief executive officer of Hero Group, would be among industry leaders who will participate in the WEF deliberations.

“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,” an official statement said.

At Davos, sessions will be organised at the India Lounge keeping in mind the country’s strategic advantage, existing and upcoming incentive architecture, industry investment potential and market opportunity.

The key topics that would be addressed during the sessions will include 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.

As many as 2,500 delegates, including over 50 heads of states, are expected to attend the four-day event.

Goyal will also be visiting the UK on May 26 and 27 May to meet British government officials and businesses on the progress made in free trade deal negotiations and the way forward.

Both nations aim to sign a trade deal by Diwali.

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.

As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.

Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.

Digital Editor