India Not at Trade War with US: Hardeep Puri

India is not at a trade war with the United States and the relationship between the two countries is on a strong footing, according to Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs & Ministry of Civil Aviation and Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, during the inaugural discussion at PAFI’s (Public Affairs Forum of India) 6th National Forum. He added that trade negotiation is the art of the possible and it should be a win-win deal for both sides. Being a firm believer in an outward-oriented posture in global trade, he emphasized that India is on the right track towards increasing its share in global markets.

Talking about the redevelopment plan for the Central Vista in New Delhi, Shri Puri said that the Government is looking for ideas and that the buildings should reflect the ethos of today, such as, the need to have energy-efficient buildings especially in urban areas where buildings account for almost 40 per cent of the carbon toxicity.

Puri also highlighted that the results of the 2019 elections are a testimony to good governance being good politics. Citing the example of 22 crore beneficiaries of various programmes initiated by the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi such as providing housing, clean toilets and cooking gas, he shared that this aggregate number is the approximate number of votes which the party got in the recent national elections. He added that the Government has set a target of 10 million homes in urban areas by 2022 to fulfill the Prime Minister’s dream of every Indian having a pucca home. Of these 8.8 million have been sanctioned, as of last month, he said.

At the inaugural dinner on 19th September 2019, Amitabh Kant, CEO, National Institution for Transforming India, NITI Aayog said that India has shown a tremendous amount of fiscal discipline. The revenue account deficit is well under control. Inflation has been at very low levels. Fundamentals of the Indian economy are totally intact and both the Government and the RBI have taken a series of measures recently. The government is determined to take India back to a high growth rate trajectory.

Atul Chaturvedi Secretary – Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, who was speaking in the session on growth in global turmoil said that in the next five years, the Government wants India to be the dairy provider of the world. He added that a lot of investments are being made in cold chain management, breed improvement and vaccination/disease control, which the government has made a priority.

In the session on “Friend or Foe: Regulating Technology”, Anshu Prakash Chairman DCC & Secretary (T) Ministry of Communications, spoke about some regulation being necessary and desirable and that no economy today can have a completely laissez fair set up. He added that technology will go where investment will take it.

Anna Roy, Advisor, Niti Aayog, said that the role of the government in regulating such a fast-evolving sector should be limited to being an enabler of innovation, providing platforms for a level playing field and catalysing public-private partnerships. 

With the theme of “Developing Partnerships, Engaging Stakeholders”, PAFI’s 6th National Forum focused on the direction and fulfillment of the Government’s several initiatives and various strategies corporates need to adopt for an effective advocacy, public policy & public affairs programme and engagements.

This year, the forum discussed issues around building open societies, pursuing economic growth at the time of global turmoil, regulations around technology and developing partnerships with stakeholders. 

Some of the eminent speakers at the forum include: Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, Niti Aayog; Pavan K Varma, National General Secretary & National Spokesperson Janata Dal (United);  Sandeep Dikshit, Former MP, Congress; Atul Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry, & Dairying; Anshu Prakash, Chairman DCC & Secretary, Telecom; Praveen Pardeshi, Municipal Commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation; Dr Gulshan Rai, Former Cyber Security Coordinator, GOI, Anna Roy, Advisor, NITI Aayog Shri Sunil Munjal, Past President, CII & Chairman, Hero Enterprises & Past President, CII; Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General, FICCI, Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, Sanjaya Baru, Former Secretary General – FICCI.