Minister of State, Ministry of Electronics and Information technology & Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar shall be attending the India Global Forum (IGF) at Bengaluru scheduled for 7th and 8th of March. IGF is the agenda-setting forum for international business and global leaders. It offers a selection of platforms that international corporates and policymakers can leverage to interact with stakeholders in their sectors and geographies of strategic importance. This is the first ever edition of IGF at Bengaluru. The previous editions were hosted at Dubai & UK and addressed by esteemed speakers like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Prince of Wales, the PM of UK Boris Johnson, Director General World Health Organization DrTedrosAdhanom, Ex PM UK Tony Blair amongst other leaders from Governments & industry across the globe.

The Forum takes place in March in the backdrop of India emerging as a reformed, resolute & a resilient Nation - enduring the Covid Pandemic and emerging as the fastest growing economy in the World. Despite widespread disruptions caused by the pandemic, India created 42 Unicorns in the year 2021 at a rate of over 3 per month with a total valuation of around $90 billion. With more than 60,000 registered Startups, India has now become the 3rd largest & one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world.

Last 2 years have witnessed unprecedented growth in the Digitalization of products and services both in the Government and Private sectors. With 82 crore Indians accessing the internet, 60 crore smart phone users, India being the world’s second largest mobile handset manufacturer  & the Government’s impetus on broadening and deepening the electronics manufacturing ecosystem, the Digital Economy is going to significantly catalyse the growth of Indian economy towards $ 5 trillion target set by PM Narendra Modi.The recently announced Budget 2022 also paves the way for expanding opportunities for growth, investments and jobs in the Digital Space.

In a statement released on the sidelines of IGF, Bengaluru, Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar stated -  “India has demonstrated tremendous resilience to and a strong bounce back from Covid. India is in midst of a major transformation of and expansion of its economy with PM Narendra Modi’s AtmaNirbharBharat economic roadmap. The Digital and tech opportunities are leading this transformation and India's Techade. The India Global Forum, Bengaluru will provide an excellent platform to dive deep into this Techade of ‘The New India Inc.’ I am very much looking forward to participating.”

Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar shall be attending the Forum and speaking on the sessions titled - The New India Inc at 5:00 pm IST on 7th March, a Round table conference with Unicorns at 8:30 am IST, Global supply chain boardroom at 12:30 pm IST and concluding session at 5:00 pm IST on 8th March.

The much anticipated session with Unicorns shall witness 30 CEOs & founders of Unicorns have an open discussion with the Minister. Over the last 6 months, the Minister has been actively meeting and interacting with the Startups across the country and providing them full support from the Government.

Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar attended the IGF Dubai last year where he attended the session “license to skill” & spoke about India’s journey towards emerging as a Global Skills Hub. The session was much appreciated by various global stakeholders attending the Forum. The IGF Bengaluru shall also witness participation of SmtNirmalaSitharaman Finance Minister, SmtMeenakshiLekhi, Minister of State - Ministry of External Affairs & Culture & other prominent CEOs & leaders from the industry.

RKJ/M