Modi to open 'Make in India' week today, big guns to attend

Mumbai: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 'Make in India' week on Saturday, the event will provide a huge opportunity for the nation to exhibit its "manufacturing prowess" and attract billions of dollars in investments from domestic and global majors.

Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies will be participating in the week-long multi-sectoral industrial event, which will be attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.

The participants at the event also include foreign heads of government and states, prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and Deputy Premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.

"We have for long been known as a service-led economy as the sector contributed over 60 per cent of GDP. But this expo will prove to the world our manufacturing prowess," DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant told reporters during a media preview in the financial capital.

The government has pulled out all the stops for the event, which is scheduled for February 13-18, as it has set aside Rs 80 crore for the jamboree.

Modi is set to inaugurate the Make in India Week at the NSCI Auditorium at Worli in central Mumbai.

Modi is expected to interact with the industry captains like Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani, Ajay Piramal, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra and Gautam Adani.

As many as 17 states, mostly BJP-ruled ones, will be participating in the expo and there will be 52 seminars, which will be attended by top executives of leading firms, both domestic and global. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha and Punjab will have dedicated state-centric sessions.

"It's for the first time that around 3,000 bilateral meetings -- business to government and business to business -- will be held during these seven days," Kant said.

"Maharashtra has been at the forefront of industrial development and the initiative comes at a very pivotal juncture."

Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal said this 'one-of- a-kind' event will showcase India's talent to innovate and deliver high-quality investments in real estate, financial services, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.