India's Davos strategy gets eastern tilt: Assam, Jharkhand widen playbook

From clean energy to seafood exports, states line up investment pitches in Switzerland

In recent years, the governments of some of India’s more industrialised states, such as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, have despatched high-powered delegations, led by their respective chief ministers (CMs), to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos (Switzerland). The pattern continues this year.

 

At this year’s summit, however, the presence of the CMs of Assam — which has emerged as the fastest-growing state economy over the past five years — and Jharkhand, which plans to showcase its mineral wealth, promises to be an interesting aspect of the Centre’s push to highlight India’s eastern states. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which shapes the contours of India’s delegation, has played a role in this effort. States such as Andhra Pradesh will also look for new markets for their seafood exports, which have suffered because of US tariffs.

 

 

According to officials in Ranchi, the delegation led by Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren will present an energy transition model during visits to Davos and later to the UK. This will be Soren’s first visit to the WEF summit.

 

The Jharkhand CM’s secretariat said the delegation will highlight “opportunities across renewable energy deployment, grid modernisation, energy storage, clean fuels, and industrial decarbonisation”, rooted in the state’s philosophy of ‘growth in harmony with nature’. Soren’s pitch will focus on the role his state could play in the clean-energy economy and critical minerals.

 

“The Singhbhum geological belt holds some of the country’s richest reserves of iron ore, copper, coal, bauxite, uranium, limestone, and strategic rare minerals — materials that are now indispensable to renewable energy, electric mobility, advanced manufacturing, digital infrastructure, and defence technologies,” the CM’s secretariat said. Officials said Soren will outline his government’s approach that critical minerals must be developed through responsible mining, high-technology processing, strong environmental safeguards and community-centred governance. Under the National Critical Mineral Mission, a critical mineral centre was recently launched at the Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad.

 

On his state’s inclusion in India’s delegation to Davos, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the Reserve Bank of India has rated the Northeastern state as recording the best economic growth over the past five years, and that the Centre’s invitation to attend the annual meet is a major opportunity. “This is a big opportunity for us. If there are positive developments, I hope to share them with you all,” Sarma said earlier this month. The delegation will showcase Assam’s natural wealth and resources.

 

Apart from Soren and Sarma, four other CMs — those of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh — will attend the WEF, as will key ministers from Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. At least four Union ministers — Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Pralhad Joshi, and K Rammohan Naidu — are expected to be present.

 

In terms of political representation, the delegation will include three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) CMs — Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra, Sarma of Assam, and Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh. Telangana’s Revanth Reddy is from the Congress, while regional parties will be represented by Jharkhand’s Soren, whose Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is a Congress ally, and Chandrababu Naidu of the Telugu Desam Party, an ally of the BJP.

 

Fresh from leading the state’s ruling alliance to victory in the civic polls, Maharashtra CM Fadnavis left for Davos on Sunday and will be at the Swiss resort until January 24. “Determined to strengthen Magnetic Maharashtra as India’s growth engine on the world stage,” Fadnavis posted on X. At the previous WEF in 2025, which he attended, Fadnavis announced total investment commitments of ₹15.7 trillion through 54 memoranda of understanding signed with domestic and foreign investors. The largest single commitment came from the Reliance Group, which pledged ₹3.05 trillion. The state government also highlighted technology and startups, positioned Mumbai as a key technology hub, and sought investments for Marathwada, northern Maharashtra, and Vidarbha, which have historically received less investment than the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the Mumbai–Pune corridor.

 

Indian leaders are expected to participate in several panel discussions, including one on whether India can become the world’s third-largest economy.

 

Gujarat Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi will lead his state’s delegation. With Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar dropping out because of engagements in India, the state’s Minister for Large and Medium Industries M B Patil will lead the delegation.

 

Patil said that in the 11 months following the Global Investors’ Meet held in February last year, Karnataka has attracted industrial proposals totalling ₹1.53 trillion. The state is seeking investments in manufacturing, renewable energy, data centres, and global capability centres (GCCs). Of the new investments, ₹66,293 crore is in manufacturing and industry, ₹20,913 crore in wind and solar power generation, ₹12,500 crore in GCCs, and ₹6,350 crore in data centres, he said.

 

Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu left for Zurich on Sunday with a delegation of ministers, including Nara Lokesh, and officials. He is scheduled to meet the finance and tourism minister of the United Arab Emirates on Monday. Andhra Pradesh will have a separate pavilion, while other states will share space in the India Pavilion.

 

Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeev will lead his state’s delegation, with a focus on the knowledge economy, environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, and high-technology and modern technology-based industries. The Kerala government said its participation at WEF 2025 helped attract investments through the Invest Kerala Global Summit (IKGS) 2025 held in Kochi and influenced Bharat Biotech to establish a food-processing unit in the state. It said the state’s industrial ecosystem was reflected in expressions of interest worth ₹1.8 trillion from 449 companies at IKGS. “Notably, 100 of these projects, including those by global majors such as Dynimated Italy and Adani Logistics, have already commenced construction,” it said. Rajeev said companies face global pressure to comply with ESG standards and that operating in Kerala allows investors to align with international sustainability norms, benefit from a transparent, feedback-linked regulatory system (Business Reforms Action Plan 2024), and gain a “green premium” for their products.

 

Gujarat’s delegation will focus on collaboration, capital flows and the role of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) for firms seeking to operate in and through India. “Discussions are expected to include international banking, fund management, aircraft and ship leasing, financial technology, GCCs, sustainable finance, and emerging technologies. The delegation will present information on GIFT City’s infrastructure, regulatory framework, and talent base,” a government release said.

 

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy has said the state government will promote its Telangana Rising 2047 vision and its goal of becoming a $3 trillion economy at the WEF. The delegation will present the state’s plans to accelerate three-pronged economic growth, building on its strengths, an official release said.