The India Pavilion at EXPO 2020 Dubai marked its 100th-day on Monday, becoming one of the most popular enclosures at 7,40,356 footfalls, showcasing the country’s business potential as well as cultural and geographic diversity. On the occasion, Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal tweeted, ”100 glorious days of the India Pavilion shining bright at the @Expo2020Dubai. The world is witnessing #IndiaAtDubaiExpo as a hub of innovation, growth and opportunities. Visit the pavilion to experience the grand celebration of India’s growth story.

The India Pavilion was inaugurated on October 1 last year by Goyal, who is also the minister of consumer affairs, food, public distribution and textiles. The Expo, inaugurated on October 1, 2021 will conclude on March 31, 2022. It was originally scheduled for October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As on January 8, the Indian enclosure recorded 7,40,356 visitors – one of the highest among participating nations. The Indian Pavilion has hosted various delegations from key sectors and states, highlighting business opportunities, focused on local diverse geographies, cultures and the socio-economic assortment.

A key project at the India Pavilion is ’Elevate’, which demonstrates unconventional solutions developed by 500 Indian start-ups to everyday problems. The India Pavilion is currently hosting the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Week’ and the Tourism Week’ which were inaugurated on January 3.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has inked six agreements with global business, bringing investment of USD 2.5 billion. The major investors are Al Maya Group, MATU Investments LLC, GL Employment Brokerage LLC, Century Financial and Noon E-commerce respectively. Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and UT of Ladakh in earlier weeks have successfully showcased their business ecosystem.

The ’Tourism Week’ has been pivotal in showcasing the different areas of tourism classes India excels – spiritual, medical, luxury tourism among others. Other themed weeks have been on new and renewable energy; space research and projects; urban-rural development; oil-gas exploration, textile; knowledge and learning.

Apart from Goyal, the senior Indian ministers who visited the pavilion include Hardeep Singh Puri, Dr S Jaishankar, V Muraleedharan, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, R K Singh and ministers of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar and Darshana V Jardosh. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Dr K Sivan have also been in attendance.

The Indian enclosure has had its share of glamor with Bollywood celebrities Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi, Salim-Sulaiman, Hariharan, Benny Dayal, Jonita Gandhi; sports icon Sania Mirza and fashion guru Manish Malhotra making appearances. Since the inauguration on October 1, the Pavilion has celebrated major festivals – Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali – with cultural programmes and other such activities.

As per the schedule, the Pavilion will now host state-specific weeks from Goa, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and sector-themed programmes on steel, healthcare, electronics and information technology, energy conservation, environment and sustainability and tribal affairs.

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