Indian Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush Goyal, on Thursday reviewed the preparations underway for the construction of the India Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo 2020. The Minister held a meeting in New Delhi with officials of the Department of Commerce, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC) and other stakeholders with regards to the Expo, which will be held for six months beginning October 20, 2020 till April 10, 2021.
Twenty-seven focus sectors have been identified to showcase India’s advances in space, pharmaceuticals, information technology, renewable energy and telecom sectors and also India’s strength in innovation and start-ups.
The theme of the Expo is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” with three sub themes – Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. The India Pavilion is being constructed in the ‘Opportunity’ segment and will embody India’s worship of nature and will be environment friendly. It will also showcase the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
NBCC bagged the INR 400 crore project to build the Pavilion at Dubai World Expo 2020. The Pavilion will have stalls displaying Indian handlooms, showcasing India’s entertainment industry, the hospitality and tourism sector, India’s gem and jewellery sector, AYUSH and medical tourism and India’s tea, coffee and spices sectors. Indian businesses and state governments will also put up stalls in the Pavilion. There will also be live performances, events and film shows to display India’s cultural diversity.
Piyush Goyal said that although the Expo ends after 6 months, the India Pavilion must continue to function as a showcase in Dubai which is visited by 17 million tourists in a year and India must explore all avenues to make the best use of the India Pavilion, permanently.
More than 25 million visitors are expected for the Expo with 180 countries being represented at the event.