Cabinet resolved to take India forward on fast-track pathway: Piyush Goyal

London, Aug 18 (PTI) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was conferred the Bharat Bhushan Award at the Lokmat Global Economic Convention here on Monday for his contributions to India's growth story and negotiating Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries such as the UK.

Addressing the summit virtually from New Delhi, Goyal shared that his Cabinet colleagues had collectively resolved at a meeting earlier to finalise the next 100-day agenda for transformation and implement the vision to make India a developed nation by 2047.

"We are going to follow the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th August, to take India forward on a fast-track pathway, implement our vision to make India a developed nation by 2047, follow the path-front which he has articulated, ensure that we all take it upon ourselves as a sense of duty to make India prosperous, developed nation by 2047 with the work of 140 crore Indians working as one team, one family," said Goyal.

The minister quoted multinational investment bank Morgan Stanley to highlight that India is on course to emerge as the world's most sought-after consumer market and a topmost investment destination.

“This is our time. Any opportunity lost today will not come back to us again. We are making win-win alliances with different parts of the world. We have concluded very robust, balanced, fair and equitable Free Trade Agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Australia, Mauritius, the four-nation EFTA group of countries – Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland – and the United Kingdom,” he said.

Goyal asserted that rapid progress is being made in other international engagements to ensure the success of the country's farmers, MSMEs, animal husbandry industry and to expand the services sector footprint in all regions of the world – an area he flagged as India having a “comparative advantage over the rest of the world”.

"The bedrock of Viksit Bharat is Atmanirbhar Bharat, and going forward, our focus on quality and cost competitiveness is going to give us unparalleled results and benefits,” he said.

The Maharashtra-headquartered Lokmat Media Group's second global convention entitled ‘India – The Emerging Global Economic Power: Challenges and Opportunities’ brought together media executives, political leaders, parliamentarians and entrepreneurs from across both nations. It also honoured visionaries from India and the UK for their contributions to India's growth trajectory.

"We are creating new opportunities for employment and attracting investments into the state to strengthen industry, while keeping a firm focus on equitable growth,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a virtual address on receiving his Lokmat Bharat Bhushan Award.

Dr Vijay Darda, chairman of the Lokmat Media Group and Convention President, set the tone for the event with his address, focusing on the important role India plays within the global economy and Mumbai as the country’s economic powerhouse.

He went on to preside over a wide-ranging award presentation ceremony which included a Lifetime Achievement Award for Hinduja Group chairman G.P. Hinduja; Bharat Bhushan Award for Vedanta Group founder Anil Agrawal and Kohinoor of India awards for British Indian House of Lords peer Rami Ranger and Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale; and Maharashtra Ratna awards for singer and philanthropist Amruta Fadnavis and Kirit Bhansali, chairman of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), among others.

The convention also included a series of panel discussions centred around the topics of India's progress towards a USD 5 trillion economy, Maharashtra as the economic powerhouse of the country, the untapped potential of women for economic development, and infrastructure as the game-changer for growth. PTI AK ZH ZH ZH