B'lore to host annual World Bank development meet

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 20 May 2003, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Bangalore, India's aviation and technology hub, will from Wednesday host a two-day World Bank conference on development, the first time it being held in a developing country, the bank said. Global scholars and development practitioners will present new research findings during the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics (ABCDE). They will also discuss key policy issues relating to poverty reduction and "accelerating development" during the conference, a bank statement said. "India and Indians have been at the forefront of research in development economics," said World Bank country director for India, Michael Carter. "This conference will provide a valuable opportunity for local researchers to contribute to and benefit from interactions with the wider research community," he said in a statement. The ABCDE has been held every year in Washington since 1989 and for the past four years a similar conference was also held in Europe. The World Bank said starting this year such conferences will now be held in a developing country. "The change reflects the growing importance of research done in developing countries and the desire to bring the conferences closer to participants in the developing world," it said. Senior vice-president and chief economist of the bank, Nicholas Stern will open the conference. Other speakers include chief of India's third largest software exporter Wipro Ltd, Azim Premji and Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Rakesh Mohan.