Germany gets to know about 'Make in India'

Germany was introduced to the "Make in India" initiative with a series of events this month ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in April when he will inaugurate the Hannover Trade Fair, dubbed the world's largest industrial fair.

The Indian consulate in Frankfurt, in close cooperation with the city authorities of Cologne, organised the concluding event of the series on Thursday.

The networking session and panel discussion on "Make in India: Opportunities for German industry" in Cologne was aimed at informing participants about the reform measures undertaken by the Indian government since launching the initiative in September 2014, according to a consulate statement.

In his address, Consul General Raveesh Kumar emphasised on the importance of the "Make in India" campaign and highlighted the positive developments that are being undertaken by the Indian government to make India a manufacturing hub and a preferred investment destination.

Lord Mayor of Cologne, Juergen Roters, while lauding the initiative of the Indian government, highlighted the special relationship that the city shares with India and invited Indian companies to invest in Cologne.

Shubhra Singh, joint secretary in Department of Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry, threw light on the various aspects of the initiative and its relevance to the German investors.

The session on "Make in India (MII): Opportunities and Challenges for German Industry" saw the panelists discuss the huge business potential offered to German investors by the announcements of the ultra mega power projects, industrial corridors, smart cities and urban development, Clean India, kill India and Digital India.

The event in Cologne saw participation from more than 100 delegates from the German industry as well entrepreneurs, consultants, lawyers and city officials.

The "Make in India" campaign was launched by the Indian consulate in cooperation with HCL on March 11 with an event in the city of Ludwigshafen that had a special emphasis on data security.

On March 19, a "Why Make In India?" seminar was organised in Frankfurt in cooperation with Srita International, a consulting firm. This was followed by another "Make in India" event in Frankfurt on March 20 with representation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and.

On March 25, a business event on "Doing Business with India in the Food Processing Sector" was organised during the Anuga Food Tec Trade Fair in Cologne. The MII series concluded with the Cologne event on March 26.

India is participating in the Hannover Trade Fair (Hannover Messe) to be held from April 13 to 17 under the theme "Make in India".

The fair will be jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Over 100 CEOs of the Indian industry are expected to participate and with over 450 Indian companies, it will be the largest Indian representation ever at Hannover. Several state governments from India will also be represented and they will hold independent seminars to promote investment in their respective states.