WEF Summit Begins; Jaitley, Gadkari Among Participants

NEW DELHI: Policy makers, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, and industry leaders will deliberate on issues of growth and competitiveness at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) India summit.

More than 700 leaders from business, government, civil society and academia from 45 countries will take part in the three-day India Economic Summit, organised by WEF in partnership with industry body CII.

Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, HRD Minister Smriti Irani, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal are among those expected to participate in the summit.

Under the theme, 'Redefining Public-Private Cooperation for a New Beginning', the summit convenes against the backdrop of significant economic growth and progress in reducing poverty in most parts of India, but also persistent inequality.

The programme is built on three pillars: 'Boosting Global Competitiveness, Launching a Domestic Systems Reset and Scaling Local and Social Innovation.

However, when asked about whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Summit, as his name was missing from the list of participants, the organisers said they have requested him to consider participating in the summit.

READ MORE: Making Public Black Money List Can Sabotage Probe: Arun Jaitley and India Assures Mauritius On Bilateral Tax Treaty