Shimla, January 19: If Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had gone to Davos Summit to discuss investment opportunities in Himachal Pradesh, he would have met more than 50 diplomats and global leaders. On one hand, CM Sukhu, who has the responsibility of the state’s IT department, should have aimed to attract IT and education investments through face-to-face meetings with 30 industrialists, but he is staying in the state and obstructing public and development work by closing the treasury for three months.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu should have gone to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Summit in Davos from January 20 to 24, but Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has failed to use this opportunity to bring investment to Himachal Pradesh.

The Himachal Pradesh government has not even approved the participation of the delegation in the WEF Summit. If approved, a budget of at least ₹15.98 crore was to be allocated by the Industries Department for setting up the pavilion, accommodation and travel and the Economic Development Board (EDB) was to be appointed the nodal agency to coordinate the visit.

The Sukhu government has also paid no attention to consulting with various departments to send the state’s delegation to the summit. CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) was to be approved as the partner organisation for the delegation. Himachal Pradesh kept planning to leverage the WEF platform to promote investment opportunities in key sectors like infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and IT.

Failure to ensure investment benefits for Himachal
By attending the Davos summit, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was to meet over 50 diplomats, industrialists and global leaders to discuss investment opportunities in Himachal Pradesh. CM Sukhu should have focused on attracting big investments in IT and education as he also holds the IT and Electronics portfolio. Sukhu was scheduled to hold one-on-one meetings with over 30 prominent industrialists at the Himachal Pradesh Pavilion.

Additionally, CM Sukhu was scheduled to engage with global education experts to explore transformational trends in education, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the modern world, and gender equality. CM Sukhu was also scheduled to participate in a roundtable discussion with representatives from Google and NVIDIA on the establishment of an AI university in Himachal Pradesh.

CM Sukhu was expected to highlight Himachal Pradesh’s investment potential and unique advantages to potential investors. Specific areas of focus were to include newly announced industrial policies, enhanced facilities, and opportunities for global players.

As per the central government guidelines, the delegation was to include only ministers and senior officials. CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Mukesh Agnihotri and Vikramaditya Singh along with senior officials were scheduled to travel to Davos to present Himachal Pradesh’s investment potential.

India has been allotted five keynote speaker slots at the global economic summit. CM Sukhu was scheduled to address three sessions, while Mukesh Agnihotri was scheduled to speak in two sessions. Both leaders were scheduled to receive a “white pass” from the WEF, giving them exclusive access to the summit’s discussions. Their focus was to be on clean energy, food processing, IT and other key sectors to attract investments.

The state’s goal was to use this global platform to showcase recent major projects and secure maximum investment benefits for Himachal Pradesh. By highlighting the state’s strengths and achievements, the government hoped to attract global attention and investments.

During his previous tenure as chief minister, Jairam Thakur attended several Davos summits and successfully brought significant investments to Himachal Pradesh. The visit was expected to further boost the state’s prospects on the global stage.

(Edited by Sourabh Jaiswal)

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Kumud Sharma

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Continuing the achievement of the journey of effectiveness and credibility of more than 10 years in the career of journalism, as a woman journalist, I am Serving as the founder, promoter and editor of DiaryTimes with the trust and support of all. My credible coverage may not have given a big shape to the numbers, but my journey presents articles that make you aware of the exact and meaningful situations of Himachal’s politics, ground issues related to the public, business, tourism and the difficult geographical conditions of the state and financial awareness. DiaryTimes, full of the experience of my precise editorial expertise, is awakening the flame of credible journalism among all of you, so that the eternal flame of meaningful change can be lit in the life of the people of the state and the atrocities being committed against the people can be brought to the fore, I am motivated for that. If even a small change comes with the power of my journalism and the whole world becomes a witness to that issues, then I will consider myself fortunate.