Dubai: The India Pavilion, one of the largest and most visited pavilions at EXPO2020 Dubai, has crossed 8 lakh (800,000) footfalls milestone.
The Pavilion was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha, on October 1 2021 and has so far clocked 8,00,103 visitors as of January 18.
In his tweet message, Goyal said, “Yet Another Milestone! Footfall at the India Pavilion at @Expo2020Dubai crosses the 8 Lakh mark. Underlining India’s Growth Story, the buzz at #IndiaAtDubaiExpo continues to captivate people with our rich heritage & ambitious growth opportunities.”
The India Pavilion is currently hosting the ‘Goa’ and ‘Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)’ weeks. While the Goa week was inaugurated on January 15, MSME week was inaugurated virtually by Narayan Rane, Union Minister of MSME, on Tuesday.
As part of the Goa week, the state is making a strong pitch to the global investors by showcasing its business capabilities along with its tradition and culture through a series of events exhibiting opportunities across key focus sectors. The state week will also see industry-specific expert sessions, roundtable discussions, B2B & G2G meetings, along with cultural performances by renowned artists and Goan bands.
The Ministry of MSME’s participation in EXPO2020 will help develop understanding about the MSME ecosystem in India as well as enable interaction with Governments of different countries, business, and industry leaders, which would help in exchange of best practices adopted across the world.
The high-profile visitors to the pavilion since its inauguration include Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, B.S. Yediyurappa, Former Chief Minister of Karnataka, and India’s Foreign Secretary, Harsh V Shringla, Dr K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) & Secretary, Department of Space, among others.
Narayan Rane, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), R.K. Singh, Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy, Darshana V Jardosh, Union Minister of State for Textile & Railways, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma, Minister of State for MSME and Satish Mahana, Minister for Industrial Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP), along with various other, dignitaries joined virtually.
The India Pavilion has made its mark among the 192 participating nations by being recognized as one of the most iconic pavilions at EXPO2020 Dubai by the American Institute of Architects.
The Pavilion has also played a key role in showcasing the Indian start-up ecosystem amongst a global audience through initiatives like ‘Elevate’, that aims to display unconventional solutions created by 500 Indian start-ups from across the country.
States such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and UT of Ladakh among others have successfully showcased their business ecosystem along with rich cultural heritage and sourced investment opportunities from leading global investors. Additionally, sectors such as New and Renewable Energy, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Oil & Gas, Textile, Knowledge and Learning have held respective weeks to highlight the growth and investment opportunities in these areas.
The Pavilion has also hosted various renowned Bollywood celebrities including Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi; singers such as Salim-Sulaiman, Hariharan, Benny Dayal, Jonita Gandhi; Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza and the famous fashion designer, entrepreneur and filmmaker, Manish Malhotra to name a few. Additionally, the Pavilion has showcased the cultural diversity of the various participating states by displaying their products, hosting cultural performances, etc. Key Indian festivals such as Navratri, Dusshera and Diwali were celebrated with great enthusiasm by both Indian and global visitors.
The upcoming weeks at the India Pavilion will witness participation from states such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu among others and sectors such as Steel, Healthcare, Information & Broadcasting, Agriculture, Electronics and Information Technology, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Tribal Affairs to name a few.
