The World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), will host its annual India Economic Summit for the first time in Mumbai, from November 12 to 14, under the theme, ‘Linking leadership with livelihood’.

Over 800 participants from 40 countries will take part in the summit, a statement from the organisers said.

“Coming to Mumbai this year is symbolic of bringing the discussions from the centre to the states,” said Sushant Palakurthi Rao, senior director, head of Asia, World Economic Forum. “States in India play a critical role in shaping the success of the national economic agenda, and coming to Maharashtra, as one of the most economically important states in India, and to India’s commercial capital of Mumbai was a logical decision.”

Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), said:  “This year’s summit showcases the compelling opportunities that India has to offer in these turbulent economic times, as well as the actions that companies and civil leaders are taking to make sure the next phase of growth is equitable.”

“Maharashtra has entered into an exciting era of accelerated industrial growth and socio-economic development, thereby creating a benchmark for the rest of the country. Together with the World Economic Forum, we are proud to invite leaders to this state of rich opportunities,” said Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra, India.

Key public figures who will participate in the event include Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Textiles; Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology; Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology; Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman, Planning Commission; Nitin Gadkari, president, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); Arun Maira, member, Planning Commission; Ashwani Kumar, Minister of State of Planning, Science and Technology and Earth Sciences; Sam G. Pitroda, adviser to the Prime Minister on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations; Oommen Chandy, chief minister of Kerala; Prithviraj Chavan, chief minister of Maharashtra; Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh; and Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy, chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.

Other key participants include Gregory Barker, Minister of State for Climate Change, UK; Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister of the Environment and Water Resources of Singapore; Cyril Chami, Minister of Industry and Trade of Tanzania; Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer, Office of Science and Technology Policy, USA; Rajat M Nag, managing director general, Asian Development Bank, Manila; Anoop Singh, director, Asia and Pacific Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC; Barry O’Farrell, Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Western Sydney, Australia; and Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia, Canada. – TradeArabia News Service