SME Times News Bureau | 05 Nov, 2021
The
India Pavilion, inaugurated by Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce
& Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and
Textiles, on 1stOctober 2021, has successfully completed its first month at the Expo 2020, Dubai.
The India Pavilion has hosted over 2,00,000 visitors as on 3rdNovember
with various sector and state specific sessions to discuss India’s
growth roadmap. It also secured investment opportunities for the country
and celebrated several cultural events to attract visitors.
Commenting
on the success of India Pavilion, Dr. Aman Puri, Consul General of
India in Dubai & Dy. Commissioner General for India at Expo 2020
Dubai said, “The October month was a huge success for the India
Pavilion. We saw a strong visitor turnout and expect this momentum to
continue in the coming months”.
“While
the India Pavilion will showcase more business opportunities for
collaboration and investment, the popularity of India’s festivals, food,
and cultural performances, have been crucial aspects in attracting
visitors from across the globe”, he added.
The Pavilion started with the Climate & Biodiversity Week from October 3rd-9th.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy conducted various sessions
that highlighted India’s renewable energy goals and climate action plan
to the world. These weeks were followed by Space and Urban and Rural
Development weeks, where discussions around the future of the sectors,
the issues and challenges in the sectors, role of the government
regulations and incentives were discussed.
Besides
sector specific weeks, the India Pavilion also hosted specific weeks
for Gujarat, Karnataka and UT of Ladakh. The state of Gujarat organized
events at the India Pavilion where Mr. Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister,
Gujarat virtually showcased the state’s vibrant Pharma sector along with
its plan for sustainable development.
Similarly,
the Karnataka Week also witnessed the presence of Shri Murugesh Nirani,
Minister, Large and Medium Scale Industries, Government of Karnataka
along with Dr. C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education; IT
& BT, Science & Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship
& Livelihood, Government of Karnataka.
Additionally,
a series of events showcasing opportunities in Ladakh across focus
sectors like sustainable infrastructure, connectivity, food processing
and tourism were discussed during the Ladakh Week at India Pavilion.
The
Karnataka week saw announcement on partnership between the Government
of Karnataka and Gulf Islamic Investments (GII) to strengthen the
investment ties between India and UAE. GII’s investment approach in
India is sector-agnostic and the firm plans to invest another USD 500m
(INR 3,500 crores) in India in the next 3 years and was one of the key
achievements for the state of Karnataka.
The
Climate & Biodiversity week saw virtual participation from
dignitaries such as Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of Power, New and
Renewable Energy, Govt. of India, Shri Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of
State, New and Renewable Energy, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government
of India & Mr Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi, Secretary, Ministry of New
and Renewable Energy, Government of India.
The
Space sector sessions were addressed by Dr K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) & Secretary Department of Space
and Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and
Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) and Shri Mr. Umamaheshwaran R,
Scientific Secretary, ISRO.
The
Urban and Rural Development week that started from 31 October was
attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Affairs, Government of India including, Mr. Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary
and Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission); Mr. Jaideep, OSD (Urban
Transport) and Mr Dinesh Kapila, Economic Advisor (Housing).
The
month of October at the India Pavilion also witnessed an array of
cultural activities during Dusshera and Navratri celebrations. These
included folk dances, storytelling and music for countless visitors and
dignitaries. The ongoing Diwali celebrations at India Pavilion comprise
of colourful installations, lighting in the form of Swarangoli or LED
rangoli, virtual display of firecrackers and performances by leading
artists such as Salim-Sulaiman, Dhruv and Rooh bands from India and
Dubai.
The
enthusiasm of visitors resulted in India Pavilion being one of the most
visited Pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai. The activities and events during
October were witnessed by hundreds of visitors with zeal and enthusiasm.