Yann Zopf, Head of Media Operations, Public Engagement, Tel.: +41 79 2041610, Email: yann.zopf@weforum.org
· More than 600 participants from over 30 countries will take part in this year’s India Economic Summit
· “Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation” is the theme of the meeting
· Event is hosted by the World Economic Forum in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), from 6 to 7 October in New Delhi
· For more information, please visit http://wef.ch/ies16
New Delhi, India, 5 October 2016 – The World Economic Forum and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – partners for more than three decades – will host this year’s India Economic Summit on 6-7 October under the theme, Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation. The summit, taking place in New Delhi, will welcome more than 600 participants from over 30 countries.
The Co-Chairs of this year’s India Economic Summit are: Anil Agarwal, Executive Chairman, Vedanta Resources, United Kingdom: Johan C. Aurik, Global Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board, A.T. Kearney, USA; Gita Gopinath, Professor of Economics, Harvard University, USA; Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog, India; John Rice, Vice-Chairman, GE, USA; and Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Paytm, India.
“It is very encouraging to see that India is the highest rising economy, climbing once again 16 places in the latest Global Competitiveness Report. The country ranks 39th out of 138 economies,” said Viraj Mehta, Head of India and South Asia and Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum. “It is, however, important to ensure that its economic growth is more broad-based, and digitally and socially inclusive,” he stressed.
“India’s march towards inclusive economic prosperity would hinge on digital transformation, and industry has been closely partnering with the government on this endeavour,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, Director-General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “Digital transformation will enable India to achieve a robust farm sector, drive job creation and entrepreneurship, and economically empower more than a billion people.”
Key participation under the three pillars of the programme includes:
Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution – How can India become an innovation-driven manufacturing hub? What are the skills and investment in digital infrastructure needed, and what will be the national policy to support this technological development?
Panellists under this pillar include: Soumitra Dutta, Dean, College of Business, Cornell University, USA; Baba N. Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge, India; Demetrios Marantis, Senior Vice-President, Global Government Relations, Visa USA, USA; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, India; Vineet Nayyar, Vice-Chairman, Tech Mahindra, India; Madan Oberoi, Director, Cybercrime Global Programme, International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), Singapore; Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister of Railways of India; Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology of India; and Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry of India.
Driving Sustainable and Equitable Growth – How can India ensure food and nutrition security for its citizens? How can the country preserve its diverse ecosystems while driving growth in various areas?
Panellists under this pillar include: Nisha Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer, Oxfam India, India; Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, South-East Asia and India, Google India, India; Ibrahim Baylan, Minister for Policy Coordination and Energy of Sweden; Shivakumar Dega, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, India Region, PepsiCo India Holdings, India; Ajay Vir Jakhar, Chairman, Bharat Krishak Samaj (Farmers' Forum India), India; Rishad Premji, Chief Strategy Officer and Member of the Board, Wipro, India; Shamina Singh, President, MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth, MasterCard, USA; and Leocadia Zak, Director, US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), USA.
Improving the Ease of Doing Business – How can cooperative federalism ensure streamlined and expedited procedures at federal and state levels? How can the public-private partnership model help meet the vast infrastructure needs and address the investment deficit?
Panellists under this pillar include: Ramesh Abhishek, Secretary of Industrial Policy and Promotion of India; Yusuff Ali, Chairman and Managing Director, Lulu Group International, United Arab Emirates; Nick Chism, Global Chair, Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare, and Deputy Head, Global Sales and Markets, KPMG, United Kingdom; Fred Hochberg, Chairman, Export-Import Bank of the United States, USA; Amit Jain, President, Uber India Systems, India; and Sajjan Jindal, Chairman, JSW Group, India.
Notes to Editors:
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