India sends its largest-ever delegation to the annual event, comprising five union ministers and three state chief ministers, besides the officials and civil society members
Our Bureau
Davos (Switzerland)
Cutting across party lines, all Union ministers, Chief Ministers, and other state ministers spoke in one voice to promote India’s growth story at Davos. Even when they otherwise compete with each other for investments and other resources, the leaders spoke in unison putting aside the competitive mindset.
India has sent its largest-ever delegation to the World Economic Forum annual event in Davos, comprising five union ministers and three state chief ministers, besides the government officials and civil society members.
“We may be different political parties, we are all one when we came to Davos,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA government in New Delhi, told a press conference in Davos, with many other political leaders from various parties on the same table.
“India first, our people first. That is our slogan,” CM Naidu stressed.
Naidu said India as a country is well positioned with economic reforms, right time adoption of technology, demographic dividend, stable growth rate, and very strong policies from the government.
“India brand is very strong under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi,” CM Naidu added. He said with leaders from different parties participating in Davos as ‘Team India’, they were giving the right messages to the world.
Taking the thread forward, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also echoed the ‘Team India’ sentiment. “At Davos, we could see one India, and I think it’s a great example of cooperative and competitive federalism whereby we are talking in one voice, but at the same time we are competing for business, we are competing for showcasing the abilities of our states, and I think that is what is contemplated in the cooperative and competitive federalism,” he voiced at the press conference.
“For us, it’s a forum to network, to understand the emerging technologies, to take the emerging technologies back home, to interact with different businesses, to tell them that we want to welcome them to our states and our country, and I think we could do it successfully here,” Fadnavis, who recently got the mandate from the people of Maharashtra said.
At a time when India aims to become a USD 5 trillion economy, Fadnavis believes it is very important that all states grow together. “There was a time when 3 or 4 states only used to grow. They used to get the share of growth, but now is a time when more states are competing and they are showcasing their strengths and they are attracting the investment, and I think together if we grow, India is going to grow,” Fadnavis complemented his argument.
Besides portraying a united ‘Team India’ at Davos, Fadnavis said leaders from different states also got the opportunity to share the best practices with each other.
The Maharashtra government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has signed a total of 54 MoUs worth Rs 15.70 lakh crore as of Wednesday at Davos, the state’s highest-ever investment proposals.
The largest investment among today’s MoUs was from the Reliance Group, which will invest Rs 3.05 lakh crore in the state, across sectors like petrochemicals, polyester, renewable energy, bioenergy, green hydrogen, green chemicals, industrial development, retail, data centers, telecommunications, hospitality, and real estate.
Chief Minister Fadnavis mentioned that the agreement with Reliance, which includes significant investment in the service sector, will contribute significantly to job creation.
Anant Ambani of Reliance Group stated that this investment is part of their vision to make Maharashtra the first state with a USD 1 trillion economy, a goal the government is committed to achieving under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Another major investment is from Amazon, which will invest Rs 71,795 crore in data centers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
Also, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met Microsoft and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Founder, Bill Gates, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in Davos.
The meeting between the two leaders focused on forging partnerships to transform the state of Andhra Pradesh into a ‘global hub’ for health, education, and innovation, an official statement stated.
CM Naidu also invited Bill Gates to join the advisory board for the proposed Artificial Intelligence University in Andhra Pradesh. This initiative aims to position the state as a leader in AI research and development, aligning with global advancements in technology and education, as per the statement.
