Page 3 - World Economic Forum

Investment MOUs worth Rs 16 trillion signed in Davos, says CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said his state has signed MOUs worth nearly Rs 16 lakh crore in Davos during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The chief minister said these MOUs have been signed across various sectors and would help the state in achieving its goal of taking its GDP to USD 1 trillion. For India to become USD 5 trillion economy, Maharashtra has to become USD 1 trillion economy and we will achieve that target by 2030, Fadnavis told PTI in an interview here. Fadnavis said investors' confidence in policy continuity at Centre and in state as also their trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led to this record level of investment commitments. He said the state government would track these MOUs to ensure their conversion into actual investments. Later, addressing a press conference along with other Indian leaders, he said it is important for all states to grow together for the country to grow further At the same conference, Telangana .

Andhra CM meets Bill Gates at WEF, discusses ties in health, education

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday met Microsoft founder Bill Gates at the World Economic Forum in Davos and discussed fostering partnerships to transform the state into a global healthcare, education and innovation hub, an official release said. The two deliberated on establishing a centre of excellence for health innovation and diagnostics in the southern state to offer cutting-edge services. "I am delighted to meet Bill Gates again after a long time... His focus on technology and innovation has been an inspiration to all. We discussed opportunities for collaboration in health and AI innovation, and I look forward to BMGF's (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) partnership in Andhra Pradesh's progress," the release quoted Naidu as saying. Emphasising that Andhra Pradesh is committed to leveraging innovation to improve public health outcomes, the CM invited Gates to join the advisory board of a proposed artificial intelligence (AI) university in the ...

India most trusted place amid disruptions across globe: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said India has emerged as the most trusted place amid disruptions across the word. Addressing a press conference here on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting along with other Indian ministers and state leaders cutting across party lines, he said that global investors and leaders are convinced about India's potential. Vaishnaw said it is a very special occasion to have one combined India team here in Davos. "Despite all disruptions across the world, India has emerged as a trusted place. This is a country that believes in peace, inclusion and growth for everyone," the union minister of railways said. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he has been coming here for a long time, the first being in 1967, but it is the first time that 'Team India' has put up a united face. He also said that the Indian delegation has got the best attention this time in Davos. Naidu said the leaders on the stage may be fro

Our capability centres turned into innovation hubs: Indian leaders at Davos

The global capability centres in India have transformed from being centres of cost arbitrage to global innovation hubs, Indian leaders said on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. Speaking at a breakfast session organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here, they also said there should be a consistent focus on upskilling the Indian talent pool. D Sridhar Babu, Telangana's Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications; Industries & Commerce, said, "The Government of Telangana is working to put young Indians in Skills' University for training, coaching and tutoring that is required to upskill and reskill employees as well as people who would like to know about new technologies.. This has already started, and it is absolutely industry-driven where the government only acts as a facilitator, he added. Emphasising the importance of staying ahead in technological advancements, he said, "As the world is witnessing ...

5 new Indian industrial clusters join WEF; commit to growth, jobs creation

As many as 33 industrial clusters from 16 countries, including five from India, on Wednesday committed to economic growth, jobs creation, and emission cuts as part of the World Economic Forum's Transitioning Industrial Clusters Initiative. The initiative, first launched at COP26 climate summit in 2021, and developed in collaboration with Accenture and EPRI, now comprises 33 clusters in 16 countries and five continents, the largest coalition of co-located companies and public institutions pledging to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while boosting economic growth and job creation. The 33 signatories together represent potential carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions reductions of 832 million tonnes -- approximately the annual emissions of Saudi Arabia, the World Economic Forum announced here during its Annual Meeting 2025. They also make a direct contribution of USD 492 billion to gross domestic product (GDP) and support 4.3 million jobs. In addition, a new report, published

Davos takes a sigh of relief as Trump holds off starting trade wars

International Monetary Fund Deputy Managing Director Min Zhu, a former People's Bank of China deputy governor, said he wasn't surprised that Trump refrained from imposing tariffs on China

Central, state ministers unveil India Pavilion at WEF's Davos summit

Day marks talks on challenges that AI poses to societies, economies

Ceat Chennai unit enters elite league of WEF's Lighthouse Network

At the Chennai unit, the deployment of advanced analytics and real-time monitoring systems has resulted in a reduction of cycle times by 18% and operational costs by 31%

EU wants to upgrade strategic partnership with India, says President Ursula

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday said the first trip of her new Commission will be to India as she wants to upgrade the strategic partnership with "the largest country and democracy" of the world. In a special address at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting here, she said the European Commission wants to see local industries flourish in its partner countries because that is also in its own interest. "And, we have partners across the world, from Africa to Indo-Pacific," she said. "The first trip of my new commission will be to India. Together with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we want to upgrade the strategic partnership with the largest country and democracy in the world," she declared. While European Parliament re-elected her for a second term in July last year, the new commission officially began work recently. Her present term will continue till 2029. She further said, "I believe we also strive for mutual benefits with our conversations with Chin

Tax super-rich, fund just and green future: Greenpeace's poster at WEF

In a rare occurrence, rights group Greenpeace on Tuesday put up a poster inside the main venue of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting here, calling for taxing the super-rich. "Tax the super rich. Fund a just & green future," read the yellow poster with black letters held by two volunteers in green T-shirts on a balcony right outside the Congress hall minutes before the opening plenary was to begin there. Greenpeace International, whose executive director Mads Christensen is participating in the meeting, is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent creative confrontation to expose environmental problems. Earlier on Monday, Greenpeace activists from various countries blocked the arrivals of the participants of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland at the Lago heliport. In a statement, Greenpeace said, "As the planet burns and the rich grow richer, the link between inequality and environmental destruction becomes undeniable. "The richest 1 per cent ..

Healthier women, stronger economies: WEF's case for investing in women

Making a strong case for investing in women's health worldwide, the World Economic Forum on Tuesday said its new research shows that closing the women's health gap could unlock USD 400 billion in global GDP annually by 2040. The Forum also launched here at its annual meeting a new Women's Health Impact Tracking platform, a publicly accessible tool designed to monitor and bridge the health gaps faced by millions of women worldwide. The new report, Blueprint to Close the Women's Health Gap: How to Improve Lives and Economies for All, was published in collaboration with the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI). It highlighted that women live 25 per cent more of their lives in poor health compared to men and showed how targeted action around nine key health conditions could reduce the global disease burden by 27 million disability-adjusted life years and add the equivalent of 2.5 healthy days per woman per year. The nine conditions are divided into lifespan conditions, related to a total ..

Maharashtra working with 360-degree approach on investments: CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra has adopted a 360-degree approach in attracting investments with several focus sectors ranging from manufacturing to technology to data centres to healthcare to clean energy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here. Fadnavis, who arrived in this ski resort town to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, told PTI that he has several meetings lined up with potential for fruitful results in terms of investments in his state. "I started my Davos visit with a meeting with World Economic Forum Founder and Chairman Klaus Schwab where we discussed collaboration between WEF and Maharashtra," he said. "We also discussed clean energy, electric vehicles and several other new-age industries. I'm holding a number of bilateral meetings here, including for potential investments in Maharashtra," he said. Fadnavis also inaugurated the Maharashtra pavilion which will host several potential and existing investors in the state. He was also present for the inauguration of one of

India at forefront of age defined by technological evolution: WEF report

In an era defined by technological evolution, India stands at the forefront as one of the world's fastest-growing economies and a global hub for startups and digital innovation, the World Economic Forum said on Monday. The Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) India, liaison office of World Economic Forum (WEF) in India, launches its 6-year impact journey report on the inaugural day of the WEF Annual meeting 2025 here. The WEF said its partnership with India dates back more than 40 years. Over the past four decades, this relationship has developed into a strong, multifaceted and meaningful collaboration with the national government, several state governments, business leaders across key industries and other important stakeholders, including civil society and leading experts, resulting in several impactful initiatives that have advanced shared priorities. India's advocacy for and pursuit of developmental templates where technology serves as a bridge rather than a barrie

India drops to 3rd in trust index; low-income less trusting of institutions

India has slipped one place to third slot when it comes to people's trust in the government, businesses, media and NGOs, while the low-income population is far less trusting than their richer counterparts, a study showed here on Monday. The annual Edelman Trust Barometer, now in its 25th year, released before the start of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, also showed that India ranks low at 13th place when it comes to trust of people in other countries, in companies with Indian headquarters. Canada topped this list of foreign-headquartered companies, followed by Japan, Germany, the UK, France and the US, while those ranked higher than India also included Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, China and Brazil. The overall list for trust of the general population in the government, businesses, media and NGOs was again topped by China, while Indonesia replaced India for the second spot by virtue of an increased score despite the Indian score remaining unchanged. The survey of 28

India pitches for investments at Davos amid uneven domestic economic growth

Behind the rhetoric of big themes, Davos is undoubtedly known for the opportunities it offers for behind-the-scenes deal-making

States join hands with Centre to present India's united colours at WEF meet

Putting aside their party affiliations, the Centre and states have come together in this skiing resort town, at least in terms of the space for their respective pavilions. Two India pavilions, just a few blocks apart on the same side of the famous Promenade street, together house all lounges and meeting rooms for the union ministers, central government departments and state governments. One has got pavilions of Kerala, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from the delegation from these states, the second one has pavilions of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Both pavilions will also host five union ministers at different times, while the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Invest India are also present -- the two agencies handling most of the country's presence here. Industry body CII is also present with a large delegation of CEOs and other business leaders. Among states, Kerala is ruled by the Left Front, Telangana by Congress, Uttar Prad

Maharashtra to UP, states draw battle lines to woo investors in Davos

Not only that, CMs like Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrababu Naidu, and Revanth Reddy are also expected to hard-sell their states at the grand venue

PM Modi's policies, Indian states hog limelight ahead of WEF meet in Davos

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday said there was a lot of interest globally in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic policies, which would be the focus of discussions at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Vaishnaw, who is leading the Indian delegation at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting beginning Monday, said there was a lot of interest in India's growth story among the international community, particularly about the digital transformation and the new digital architecture. "In the World Economic Forum in Davos, there is lot of interest in understanding our thought process, the prime minister's economic policy, about the digital transformation, about the way India has created new digital architecture under the Digital India programme and also the way technology has been democratised. There is a lot of interest on this," he said. There will be detailed discussions about inclusive growth, the investment in social, physical, digital infrastructure and on ...

CM Naidu to promote 'Brand AP' during 4-day Davos trip for WEF meeting

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will on Sunday leave for the World Economic Forum meeting in Switzerland's Davos where he will promote "Brand AP" and showcase the state to top industrialists and business leaders for investment. Naidu intends to highlight a slew of newly-created employment-focused industrial policies and network with top executives to secure investment. "The chief minister will use Davos as a platform to explain the availability of human resources, infrastructure, government subsidies, stable leadership and speed of doing business to attract national and international companies," according to a statement on Saturday. Naidu will leave Amaravati for Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday, followed by a flight to Zurich at 1:30 am on Monday. In Zurich, Naidu will meet India's ambassador to Switzerland. He will later meet industrialists at a local hotel and follow it up with a meeting with Telugu industrialists. At the "Meet and Greet Telugu Diaspora" event, Naidu w

Maharashtra targets MOUs worth Rs 7 trn at WEF, CM to lead delegation

The Maharashtra government has set a target of signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 7 lakh crore at the upcoming annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos in Switzerland, a senior official from the state Industries Department said on Thursday. In 2023, Maharashtra signed MoUs worth Rs 1.37 lakh crore, while in 2024, MoUs worth Rs 3.53 lakh crore were signed, he pointed out. "Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are the two states in the country with the highest conversion rate of MoUs. This time we have raised the bar and plan to achieve an 80 to 85 per cent conversion rate," he said. The WEF meeting will be held from January 20 to January 24, and the Maharashtra delegation will be led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Maharashtra government has also set a deadline of March 31 to execute the maximum number of MoUs, he said. The industries department reviewed the outcomes of the last two WEF meetings and the challenges faced while converting MoUs into ...