Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Apr 22: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman extended an open invitation to global CEOs, institutional investors, and pension fund managers to actively participate in India’s growth story, during a high-level interaction held in the United States.
The meeting, attended by Finance Secretary Ajay Seth and India’s Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra, served as a platform to highlight emerging opportunities for collaboration in areas such as clean energy, sustainability, and advanced digital technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
FM Sitharaman discussed India’s ambitious Rs 1 lakh crore ($12 billion) corpus for private sector–driven research, development, and innovation, as well as investment potential in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-IFSC).
The global investors shared valuable feedback on India’s evolving policy framework and expressed strong interest in forging deeper economic partnerships. The Finance Minister appreciated their insights and reiterated the government’s commitment to facilitating smoother investment experiences.
In a series of one-on-one meetings with top industry leaders, the Finance Minister discussed sectoral collaborations:
- Jonathan Siddharth, CEO of Turing, expressed interest in contributing to India’s AI journey, envisioning a sovereign AI model developed through Indian talent.
- Debanjan Saha, CEO of DataRobot, acknowledged India’s potential to emerge as an AI superpower and welcomed the opportunity to participate in the AI Centre of Excellence, supported by a Rs 500 crore allocation in Union Budget 2025-26.
- FM Sitharaman highlighted India’s strong foundation in digital infrastructure, citing initiatives like the Rs 10,300 crore IndiaAI Mission and research hubs like the Srijan Centre for Generative AI at IIT Jodhpur.
Further meetings with Anjney Midha of Andreessen Horowitz and VMware CEO Raghu Raghuram revolved around India’s digital transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The minister encouraged the tech giants to explore cross-sectoral collaborations in AI.
In her interaction with Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, discussions revolved around India's rapid digital growth. Kurian applauded India’s AI policy direction and spoke about Google Cloud’s commitment to carbon-free operations by 2030. He also hinted at significant investments in India's digital infrastructure, including enhanced connectivity through sea and land cables.
As India continues to position itself as a global innovation hub, FM Sitharaman’s engagements in the US aim to strengthen economic ties and draw global stakeholders into India’s unfolding growth journey.