Business leaders in Washington are already updated on the Modi government’s various initiatives for infrastructure development.
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all prepared to showcase India as “the most opportune place for investment” during his upcoming interactions with the business leaders of top 20 American companies in the USA. In a bid to woo investors from the US, PM Modi along with a team of diplomats is equipped with all data and documents to highlight India’s massive development and reforms on economic, infrastructure and energy fronts, people familiar with the preparations told The Sunday Guardian. “The questions and doubts, if any, will be answered and addressed with substantial documents and data,” they added. PM Modi will make a state visit to the US during 21-24 June, when he will be hosted by President Joe Biden at the White House and address a joint session of the Congress.
“Inviting investors from US to India is on top of the agenda during PM Modi’s meetings with business leaders in Washington,” diplomats who are privy to details of the visit told The Sunday Guardian. “PM Modi’s ‘GatiAndPragati’ that changed the infrastructure landscape of the country is definitely going to be a big hit there, given the indications coming in from Washington,” they added. “Robust and well developed infrastructure is a must for any government to expect investments from abroad. And PM Modi’s vision—Gati And Pragati—is substantially good in that respect,” officials said, adding, “Indian embassy in Washington has already given the positive feedback of business community of the USA about India’s infrastructure being favourable for attracting investments.” As diplomats in India and the US explore what PM Modi’s State Visit means for the commercial relationship, indications are that the US trade and business leaders are quite impressed with the growth story that New Delhi has so far scripted under the leadership of PM Modi.
A tweet from John T Chambers, Chairman of the business advocacy group, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), speaks volumes about the positive mood and sentiments in the business community about India’s developments ahead of PM Modi’s visit. John says “if he had to bet on one country in Asia, he would bet on India and if he had to bet on two countries in Asia, he would bet on India twice”. Significantly, Dr Mukesh Aghi, USISPF President and CEO, will facilitate PM Modi’s meeting with some of the important names including Shantanu Narayen, Chief Executive Officer of Adobe Systems; Julie Sweet CEO of Accenture; Ryan McInerney CEO of Visa Inc, Michael Miebach, CEO Mastercard; James Quincey, CEO Coke Cola.
Meanwhile, just a week ahead of his visit to the US, PM Modi sent out a powerful message about India’s growth story in what is being seen by diplomats as an attempt to set the agenda on the investment mission. PM Modi on Thursday said his government in the last nine years has nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. He said every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India. The prime minister’s remarks on Twitter with the hashtag “9YearsOfGatiAndPragati” assume significance in terms of sending out a message to the business community in Washington ahead of his State Visit to the USA. “In #9YearsOfGatiAndPragati, we nurtured the roots of growth and development in India, shaping an infrastructure landscape that is unparalleled. Every sector has witnessed swift advancement, setting the stage for a developed India,” Modi said in a tweet. The prime minister also shared write-ups on his government’s achievements in the infrastructure sector.
Intro of the article ‘The Infrastructure Imperative: Why Investing Now is Critical for Tomorrow’ shared by PM Modi says, “Ever since the present government came to power in 2014, it has focused extensively on infrastructure development in the Country on multiple fronts like highways, railways, sea ports, power generation, etc.” While addressing the webinar on improving logistics efficiency with PM Gatishakti National Master Plan in March 2023, Modi had said, “We consider infrastructure building as the driving force of the country’s economy. Following this path, India will achieve the goal of being a developed nation by 2047.”
In a bid to strengthen this message, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation of a developed India by creating world-class infrastructure in nine years of his government. The home minister also said that from completing languishing projects to implementing new ones with unprecedented speed, India emerged as the global supply chain leader in nine years of “Gati and Pragati”. “With giant strides in ensuring seamless connectivity PM @narendramodi Ji laid the foundation of a developed India,” he tweeted. In nine years, Prime Minister Modi filled India’s sails with the power of an infrastructure boom to pace up growth. “Whether it is creating I-Ways, highways, airports, or taking railways to remote corners, world-class infrastructure is the core of the Indian story,” he said.
“The US is all aware of how PM Modi has been actively involved in ensuring the completion of infrastructure development projects,” diplomats said. Recently, PM Modi reviewed the progress of nine key infrastructure projects spread across 13 states. Chairing the meeting of the 41st edition of PRAGATI, the Prime Minister asked all ministries and state governments to use the PM GatiShakti portal for planning infrastructure projects. In the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed the fast resolution of land acquisition, utility shifting, and other issues.
He also expressed better coordination between both the central and the state for the timely completion of projects. The US leading business leaders will feel attracted to tapping investment opportunities in India in key areas such as infrastructure, fintech, telecommunications, semiconductors, and renewable energy, sources said. “There is a solid database to highlight the Modi government’s economic reforms and initiatives for ease of doing business and boosting economic growth,” said an official. According to officials, PM Modi is also set to apprise Biden of the changes that have been made to the business environment through initiatives such as Mission Gati Shakti for an integrated approach to infrastructure connectivity projects, Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile trinity, National Education Policy, Hydrogen Mission 2050, the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, etc.