logo
Piyush Goyal begins Switzerland visit interacting with business leaders

Piyush Goyal begins Switzerland visit interacting with business leaders

India Gazette5 hours ago

Bern [Switzerland], June 9 (ANI): Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal began his two-day Switzerland visit with an interaction with CEOs of select Swiss companies and prospective investors in India over lunch on Monday.
'Glad to learn that the Swiss industry is looking forward to the implementation of the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. Promising opportunities lie ahead for India and Switzerland,' he wrote on X.
Further, in a series of sectoral meetings, he interacted with the CEOs of several Swiss pharmaceutical and life sciences companies that are considering investing in India.
'Had an exciting interaction on their vision and growth plans. Glad to hear their appreciation for India's growth potential, innovation ecosystem and the 'Make in India' success,' Piyush Goyal wrote in another X post.
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, commenced his official visit to Switzerland on Monday, as part of his ongoing visit to Switzerland and Sweden from 9-13 June 2025.
'This visit underscores India's steadfast commitment to deepening strategic and economic partnerships with key European nations, advancing robust trade and investment ties, and supporting a shared vision for resilient global growth,' his ministry said in a statement.
The itinerary includes focused sectoral meetings with prominent Swiss industry leaders in areas such as Pharma and Life Sciences, and Precision Engineering/Machine Tools/High-tech Manufacturing.
The Minister will also connect with the ICAI Zurich Chapter and interact with Indian media. A significant highlight will be meeting with Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin fostering strong trade and diplomatic ties.
'A significant component of the high-level visit to Switzerland will include a series of one-on-one meetings with leading Swiss companies. Indian industry representatives will also participate in these crucial engagements, fostering direct dialogue and exploring specific collaboration opportunities. The day will also feature participation in the Swissmem Industry Day and a Business Round Table with the Swiss Mechanical and Electrical (MEM) Industry, where deliberations will focus on the potential and opportunities arising from the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA),' the commerce ministry statement said. (ANI)

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism
S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism

Time of India

time37 minutes ago

  • Time of India

S Jaishankar welcomes Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism

BRUSSELS: External affairs minister began his visit to Belgium on Monday with a meeting with deputy prime minister and foreign minister Maxime Prevot. The discussions focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and combating terrorism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He appreciated Belgium's support in combating terrorism and welcomed their solidarity and emphasised the strong momentum in the India-EU partnership, highlighting the potential for collaboration in clean energy, mobility, and pharmaceuticals. The two leaders discussed deepening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, technology, defense, and security. Sharing the details in a post on X on Monday, EAM said, "Pleased to meet DPM & FM @prevotmaxime at the start of my visit to Belgium. Welcomed Belgium's support and solidarity in combatting terrorism. Appreciated the strong momentum of our bilateral engagement and the India - EU partnership. Also held wide - ranging discussions on deepening our cooperation including in trade, investment, technology, defence & security, pharmaceuticals, clean energy and mobility. " Jaishankar's visit to Brussels comes three months after Princess Astrid of Belgium led a 300-member economic mission to India. The recent visit by Princess Astrid, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar, discussed key areas such as labor migration, pharmaceuticals, defense, diamonds, space exploration, and green energy. Interestingly, Jaishankar's visit coincides with the detention of fugitive Indian diamantaire Mehul Choksi in a Belgian jail. Choksi, accused of defrauding Punjab National Bank of Rs 13,850 crore, was arrested in mid-April on India's extradition request. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now India has an extradition treaty with Belgium, and the government is likely to pursue Choksi's extradition during the EAM's visit. Jaishankar is on an official visit to France, the European Union (EU), and Belgium from June 8 to 14, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press release on Sunday. The visit marks a significant step in further strengthening India's strategic partnerships with Europe. The EAM will first travel to Paris and Marseille, France, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot. The EAM will hold a Strategic Dialogue with the EU High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas. According to the MEA press release, "India-European Union strategic partnership has strengthened over the years across diverse sectors and got a big boost with the first-ever visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February this year." Jaishankar will also meet senior leadership from the European Commission and European Parliament and interact with think tanks and media. MEA in its statement noted that the Belgium leg would also see the EAM meet members of the Indian community during his visit. The MEA highlighted, "India and Belgium share warm and friendly relations along with a very robust economic partnership. Today the collaboration between the two countries spans various domains like trade and investment, green energy, technology, pharmaceutical, diamond sector and strong people-to-people ties." The Ministry of External Affairs emphasized that the visit is expected to further deepen India's friendly relations with the European Union, France and Belgium and give renewed momentum to ongoing cooperation in diverse areas.

India's trade agreement with EFTA to boost investments by $100 billion
India's trade agreement with EFTA to boost investments by $100 billion

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

India's trade agreement with EFTA to boost investments by $100 billion

Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Bern, Switzerland: India's trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) comprising Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will come into effect in September, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on also said talks on a trade deal with the European Union could be concluded 'faster than expected'.India had already created a dedicated desk under Invest India for companies from the EFTA bloc to facilitate investment in India, he said, adding: "It will enter into force by September."The agreement has received approval from the parliaments of all four countries, Goyal said. In Switzerland, there is an objection period open until July 10 when citizens could challenge the pact. July and August are holiday months Delhi and the EFTA nations had signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) on March 10, agreement envisages an investment commitment of $100 billion in 15 years from the grouping into India in lieu of customs duty cuts. This commitment, Goyal said, was included for the first time in a trade who is on a four-day visit to Switzerland and Sweden, said companies in biotech, cybersecurity, healthcare and machinery manufacturing have shown interest in investing in India. A delegation of 90 Indian companies is accompanying Goyal on this visit to meet local leaders and businesses to promote trade and said he held bilateral meetings with over a dozen companies here and most of them are keen to invest in India. He said a delegation of 100 companies had visited India in February and some of them are keen to test market their products"There is a lot of excitement here for India," he said, adding that the trade deal will bring predictability, continuity and stability of the policy regime for investors from both was talking to journalists after his meeting with Swiss industry Minister Narendra Modi's government, which has completed 11 years, has gone from a position of strength to negotiate free trade deals with advanced economies, Goyal Delhi is in talks with the US for a bilateral trade deal, he said. India has already signed an early harvest deal with Australia and is also actively negotiating agreements with New Zealand, Chile, Peru and trade dealAsked about if India is prepared to finalise a trade agreement with the US by prioritising low-hanging fruits, Goyal said: "India is always ready for that and I believe that" the things, which are not controversial, the low-hanging fruits, should be captured first as those sectors will start getting is not necessary to wait for everything and why waste time until it is perfect, he said, citing the example of trade officials are in New Delhi for the trade talks with their Indian counterparts. The week-long deliberations will conclude on June whether the deal can be concluded before July 9, he said: "I am a born optimist".During his meeting with companies here, Goyal suggested they organise board meetings in India so that they can see the investment potential in the country."The world today recognises that the best place to do business is India … India is also a preferred destination for services," he years of governmentTalking about the 11 years of the Modi government, Goyal said close to 2,000 GCC (global capability centres) had been set up in the are all possible because of "good governance" of the last 11 years, he said, while highlighting the reduction in extreme poverty and performance of stock markets. He also cited the gap between the yields on Indian bonds and the US treasury, which has narrowed from 6.3% in 2014 to 1.78% now.'PM Modi had taken the country from being a fragile five to being among the top five economies,' he saidGoyal said the government is trying to create large domestic accountancy firms in India, and the country will soon have its own "Big Four".Global professional services firms Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, EY and KPMG currently dominate the accountancy space in the country.

Union minister blames Kerala govt for teen's electrocution death in live wire wild boar trap, cites ‘deliberate negligence'
Union minister blames Kerala govt for teen's electrocution death in live wire wild boar trap, cites ‘deliberate negligence'

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Union minister blames Kerala govt for teen's electrocution death in live wire wild boar trap, cites ‘deliberate negligence'

Kozhikode: Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav faulted state govt for the electrocution death of 15-year-old Anandu near Kalikavu in Nilambur from a live wire trap set up to capture wild boars on Saturday night. Speaking to the media in New Delhi on Monday, Yadav said that the electrocution was due to state govt's deliberate negligence. "Anandu, who was killed in electrocution from wild boar trap, is the latest in the series of deaths by electric fences in the last few years. In 2025 alone, three persons were killed in the district (Malappuram). The electrocution was the result of deliberate negligence by state govt of Kerala and the local authority claiming several innocent lives," Yadav said. To address the wild boar issue, Centre has issued guidelines to the state to implement a few measures, including giving powers to panchayats to kill the animals if they posed a threat to human life and crops, he said. On state govt's demand for amendment in Wildlife Act to enable killing of wildlife which posed threat to life and property, Yadav said Centre had already given state govt the power to kill wild boars and it is being carried out. Centre had in 2021 rejected Kerala govt's request to declare wild boar as vermin and Union minister's remarks pointed to no change in Centre's stand. Yadav said there were a total of 344 deaths in state during the last five years, of which 180 (around 60%) were due to snake bites outside forest limits. Besides that, 103 deaths were due to elephants, 35 by wildlife, nine by gaur, four by tiger and 13 by other animals, he added. Anandu had died after coming into contact with a live wire trap set for hunting wild boars at Vellakatta near Vazhikadavu in Nilambur. Police have arrested Nambyadan Vineesh, 36, of Puthiripadam, who had allegedly laid the live wire trap near a stream along the forest fringes for poaching of wild boars. He was booked under section 105 of BNS (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The investigation into the case has been handed over to district crime branch.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store