India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai crosses 200,000 footfalls: Govt

The India Pavilion, inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Minister on October 1, has successfully completed its first month at the Expo 2020, Dubai.

The India Pavilion, inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, on October 1, has successfully completed its first month at the Expo 2020, Dubai.

According to an official release of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the India Pavilion has hosted over 2,00,000 visitors as of November 3 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," the release said.

Commenting on the success of India Pavilion, Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy 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 and Biodiversity Week from October 3 to October 9.

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, the 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 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 Murugesh Nirani, Minister, Large and Medium Scale Industries, Government of Karnataka along with Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education; IT and BT, Science and Technology; Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and 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 release said.

The Ministry informed that the Karnataka week saw an 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 (Rs 3,500 crores) in India in the next 3 years and was one of the key achievements for the state of Karnataka," the Ministry said.

The Climate and Biodiversity week saw virtual participation from dignitaries such as RK Singh, Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, Bhagwanth Khuba, Minister of State, New and Renewable Energy, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India and 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) and Secretary Department of Space and Dr Pawan Goenka, Chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) and Umamaheshwaran R, Scientific Secretary, ISRO.

The Urban and Rural Development week that started from October 31was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India including, Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary and Mission Director (Smart Cities Mission); Jaideep, OSD (Urban Transport) and 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 release said.

"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," it added.