“We aim to position India as the global leader in the international landscape. India is set to become the second-largest e-commerce market by 2034 internationally. India with a vibrant technology ecosystem, workforce, and visionary leadership will successfully navigate the complexities.” This was stated by Sh. Som Parkash, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry as the keynote speaker of the inaugural session of the three days G-20 Seminar on Trade and Investment Working Group meeting in Bengaluru today. It is pertinent to mention that Bengaluru, the City of Gardens, which blends information technology & rich cultural heritage is hosting the second Trade and Investment Working Group meeting under G20 Presidency. Nearly 75 delegates from G20 countries, invitee countries, and regional and international organizations are participating in deliberations on finding agreed solutions on issues related to international trade and investment. Today on the first day, a seminar is being organized which will discuss the disruptive role of technology in driving inclusive growth and resilient trade.
Welcome speech was delivered by Debjani Ghosh, President NASSCOM, and the inaugural address was given by Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India.During the Seminar, nearly 200 delegates from G20 members, invitee countries, international organizations, and representatives from the technology sector and business community are being engaged in deliberations on the issues which are at the intersection of trade and technology. Today the Seminar is featuring two-panel discussions. The first one is focussing on how technology is reshaping trade. It will be moderated by Saurabh Chandra, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group. The panelists for this session are Alok Nanda, CTO, GE South Asia, and CEO of GE India Technology Centre, Eske Bo Knudsen Rosenberg, Consul General & Head of Trade and Innovation Centre, Denmark, Patrick Peisker, Indian Leader & Head of R&D, Mitel, Rajesh Nambiar, Chairman & MD, Cognizant Technologies India, Warren Harris, CEO & MD, Tata Technologies. The Second Panel Discussion is titled transformative tools for revolutionizing manufacturing and Trade. This session will be moderated by Stefan Halusa, Director General, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce. The panel members are Anandi Iyer, Director at Fraunhofer India & Chair, G20 Empower Working Group on STEM, Arti Singh, Chief Information Officer, Boeing India, Dr. Rene Van Berkel, Head Representative, UNIDO, India, Poul V Jensen, Managing Director, European Business & Technology Centre.In the end, the vote of thanks was proposed by Arun Kumar Garodia.