As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the 'Make in India' week tomorrow, the event provides a huge opportunity for the nation to exhibit its "manufacturing prowess" and attract billions of dollars in investments from domestic and global majors.
Over 2,500 international and 8,000 domestic companies will be participating in the week-long multi-sectoral industrial event, which will be attended by foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations.
The participants at the event also include foreign heads of government and states, prime ministers of Sweden, Finland and Deputy Premier of Poland, besides other Cabinet ministers.
"We have for long been known as a service-led economy as the sector contributed over 60 per cent of GDP. But this expo will prove to the world our manufacturing prowess," DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant told a select group of reporters during a media preview here.
The government has pulled out all the stops for the event, which is scheduled for February 13-18, as it has set aside Rs 80 crore for the jamboree.
Modi is set to inaugurate the Make in India Week at the NSCI Auditorium at Worli in central Mumbai.
Modi is expected to interact with the industry captains like Ratan Tata, Cyrus Mistry, Mukesh Ambani, Ajay Piramal, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Anand Mahindra and Gautam Adani.
As many as 17 states, mostly BJP-ruled ones, will be participating in the expo and there will be 52 seminars, which will be attended by top executives of leading firms, both domestic and global.
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha and Punjab will have dedicated state-centric sessions.
"It's for the first time that around 3,000 bilateral meetings -- business to government and business to business -- will be held during these seven days," Kant said.
"Maharashtra has been at the forefront of industrial development and the initiative comes at a very pivotal juncture."
Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal said this 'one-of- a-kind' event will showcase India's talent to innovate and deliver high-quality investments in real estate, financial services, infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.
"We believe that this event is a great opportunity for us
to promote our exceptional talent and ability," Piramal said.
"The event has the potential to propel the economy with global and industry engagement in the form of partnership and investments," Siemens India MD Sunil Mathur said.
Big corporate houses such as Reliance Industries, the Tata group and the Birla group have put up dedicated stalls at the venue.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) last week said it will offer foreign investors unprecedented access and opportunities to connect and collaborate with young Indian entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academicians and government officials.
A dedicated venue with 2.2 lakh square metres of space for exhibitions, conferences, state/sectoral pavilions and meetings is being readied on an open ground in the business district at BKC.
There is also a business forum organised by international news network CNN, where noted American journalist of India-origin Fareed Zakaria will interact with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. An award show by 'Time' magazine on manufacturing is also part of the week.
Maharashtra will be having a dedicated pavilion at the venue and will also have a session exclusively devoted to investment opportunities in the state where industry leaders Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani will be speaking.
Thirteen Union ministers and 11 chief ministers will be in attendance.
During the week, Maharashtra will be showcasing its rich cultural heritage at an open-for-all event on the Girgaum Chowpatty beach by the Arabian Sea.
