Mukherjee to lead business delegation to US next month

Washington, Aug 18 (PTI) An Indian delegation led by
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will travel to Chicago, New
York and Washington next month to pitch for American
investment in Indian business opportunities, particularly in
the infrastructure sector.
Accompanied by several Indian Cabinet ministers, top
officials and corporate leaders, Mukherjee -- who is scheduled
to travel to Washington in the third week of September to
attend the annual meeting of the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund -- will travel to New York City to kick off the
eighth annual Institutional Investors' Forum meeting,
beginning September 21.
The annual event being organised by the Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry focuses on the
investment potential offered by India's infrastructure sector,
which is projected to require USD 1 trillion over the coming
years to sustain the country's economic growth rate.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Power
Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and Renewable Energy Minister
Farooq Abdullah would also address the forum, which is likely
to witness record attendance by more than 500 top American
corporate executives.
FICCI President Harsh Mariawalah will lead a high-power,
20-member delegation of Indian corporates to the Investors'
Forum meeting, which would arrive in New York City after
participating in the 'US-India Economic Opportunities and
Synergies Summit' on September 20, which is being organised by
the prestigious Executive Club of Chicago.
Sharma, Shinde and Abdullah, too, would participate in
the day-long summit, which would be attended by some top
officials of the Obama Administration.
Chicago Mayor Ram Emanuel is believed to have given his
consent to address the key India-US economic summit.
After New York and Chicago, Mukherjee travels to
Washington to hold top-level talks with officials of the Obama
Administration and his counterparts from G-20 countries and
other world leaders attending meetings of the IMF and the
World Bank.
Mukherjee's visit will be capped by the third
FICCI-Brookings Dialogue on the India-US Strategic
Partnership, which would be attended by some of the top
think-tanks and officials from both countries.
The new Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, is
expected to address the strategic dialogue.
Interestingly, Rao had delivered the concluding remarks
at last years' FICCI-Brookings Dialogue in her capacity as the
then Foreign Secretary. PTI LKJ
ASH