The third B20 conference in the Northeast in Gangtok, Sikkim was organized on opportunities for multilateral business partnerships in tourism, hospitality, organic farming, and pharmaceuticals.
Mr. P S Tamang Golay, Chief Minister of Sikkim, Mr. V B Pathak, Chief Secretary, Sikkim, Mrs. Rupa Dutta, Principal Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Government of India, Mr. Ashish Kumar Sinha, Joint Secretary (G20), G20 Secretariat, Government of India, Mr. Noor Rahman Sheikh, Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav, Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission & Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog, Government of India and Ms. Namrata Thapa, Secretary, Department of Information & Public Relation, Government of Sikkim attended the event.
The B20 event was attended by delegates from 22 countries with 53 overseas participants representing Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, China, Chad, Czech Republic, Greece, Ghana, Iceland, Japan, Jamaica, Nepal, Norway, Mexico, Paraguay, Romania, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Switzerland, Sweden, United States, and Türkiye and included more than 100 Indian delegates.
In his address as the Chief Guest, Shri P S Tamang Golay, Chief Minister of Sikkim pitched for Investments in Green Technology, market accessibility, value addition for processing of its horticultural produces, and capacity building for initiating research in the organic sector at the Conference. Mrs. Rupa Dutta emphasized the seven task forces of the B20 and mentioned India’s priority on climate change and reduction of carbon footprint, reduction of compliance burden for ease of doing business, and the decriminalization acts for the industry.
The event was a success with MOUs and letters of intent signed for investment worth INR 800 crores.
The fourth B20 Conference in the Northeast was held in Kohima, Nagaland focusing on agriculture, food processing, tourism, and information technology. The Inaugural session was graced by Mr. Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister of Nagaland, Dr. Raj Kumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, Mr. J Alam, Chief Secretary, Nagaland, Mrs. Rupa Dutta, Senior Adviser, DPIIT, Government of India and Mr. Mhathung Yanthan, Advisor of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland.
The event saw the participation of 60 overseas participants from 27 countries and included more than 100 Indian delegates.
In his address, the CM urged for investments in organic farming due to the use of natural pesticides in the state. The unique location and hospitality of Nagaland were emphasized by Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who also highlighted the game-changing potential of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the PM DeVINE scheme. Mrs. Rupa Dutta from DPIIT emphasized the opportunity for agro-based products in Nagaland, specifically mentioning GI-tagged Naga King Chili, Tree Tomato, and Sweet Cucumber, and urged the state to take advantage of the Mission Organic farming scheme.
The summit was a great success with investments of INR.10 crores by the Poonawala group and business interests in various sectors worth INR. 4,510 crore from both national and international business delegates.
The group also engaged in some meaningful discussions with industry representatives and delegates from Japan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan on the sidelines of the event and explored opportunities for investment and increasing trade in the state.
The SIRU team from Invest India deputed at DPIIT was invited to be part of both meetings, as the team is closely working with DPIIT for India’s G20 presidency, especially on B20, a prominent engagement group within the G20.
