The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received yesterday (May 28, 2015) in Rashtrapati Bhavan around 50 members of the Indian business delegation accompanying him to Sweden and Belarus along with representatives of FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.
The representatives who included Shri B.P. Rao, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of BHEL, briefed the President about their activities in India and plans for the visit to Sweden and Belarus.
Speaking on the occasion, the President recalled his interaction with the Indian business community in different capacities for over half a century. He said he was delighted to see in the delegation new faces, new ideas and new vision. He was impressed by their plans to seek investments as well as explore new opportunities. He is happy the Indian delegation is filled with confidence and optimism.
The President said there is great potential for business as well as academic cooperation between India and the two countries he was visiting. There is also scope to learn from Sweden its practices in sustainable development as well as innovation. He called upon the business community to draw lessons from the experience they gain during the visit and to apply them in the Indian situation.
Expressing confidence that the interaction of the business delegation with their counterparts will contribute to building of closer relations between people of the two countries, President Mukherjee said tremendous opportunities await India in the world. He called upon the business delegation to leverage India’s demography, demand and democracy to build new relations with the business leaders of these countries.
Smt. Omita Paul, Secretary to the President, Shri Navtej Singh Sarna, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs and other senior officers of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Ministry of External Affairs were present during the interaction.
This release issued at 1630hrs.