Narendra Modi in Davos LIVE: After Meeting Global CEOs, PM to Pitch 'Make in India' in Plenary Speech

We are here in Davos at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to discuss India's growing global influence and structural reforms that have enhanced long-term economic outlook. #WEF2018 #Davos2018

— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) January 23, 2018

First lady Melania Trump, in a change of plans, will not be joining President Donald Trump on his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (Source: CNN)

"In addition to listening to PM keynote address at the plenary session, participating and speaking in several sessions I look forward to joining the Yoga classes on the Alps early morning ! India's soft power is on full display at World Economic Forum," Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog tweeted.

RECAP| The annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meet of the rich and the powerful began on Monday with a special message from Pope Francis being read out at the opening ceremony. WEF Founder and Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab declared the summit open amid the ski-resort receiving record snowfall. Schwab welcomed members from business, politics, academia and media as well as the first timers with a round of applause. "Participants are here because they are part of a multi-stakeholder community. No stakeholder alone can address the complex global agenda effectively," Schwab said. He also invoked the spirit of Davos and asked everyone to come not only with their brain but with their soul and heart. 

Davos gets underway in earnest on Tuesday with addresses from the leaders of India and Canada, as well as a session on ending sexual harassment.

0830 GMT: Meet the Co-Chairs of the Annual Meeting: Seven women are leading the week’s discussions, from the Prime Minister of Norway to the CEO of IBM.

1015 GMT: Opening Plenary with Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Find out what lies ahead for the world’s fastest growing major economy.

1300 GMT: An Insight, An Idea with Cate Blanchet: The actor and Crystal Award winner will share her thoughts on building a world of solidarity.

1400 GMT: An Insight, An Idea with Shah Rukh Khan: The “King of Bollywood” and Crystal Award winner will talk about women’s empowerment in India.

1430 GMT: Gender, Power and Stemming Sexual Harassment: The Vice-President of Microsoft joins Canada’s Minister of Women and other leaders.

1630 GMT: Special Address by Justin Trudeau: Canada’s Prime Minister will share his thoughts on the role of business and empowering women.

Ahead of the Crystal Awards, Shah Rukh Khan was seen enjoying the snow in Davos.

Switzerland main aake yeh na kiya toh kya kiya...?! Loving being at the Davos, now to get ready for the Crystal Award Ceremony. #DavosDiaries pic.twitter.com/c95SwSR0v2

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) January 22, 2018

World Economic Forum communications chief Adrian Monck said it appeared to be the heaviest snowfall for the four-decades-old summit since 1999-2000, though he described it as more of an inconvenience than a real threat to attendance.

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, who participated at the roundtable meeting with the CEOs of top global companies, tweeted: "Let me add my compliments to you all. You did us proud with your world-beating organizational skills. Every global CEO was floored by the personal touches in your hospitality. I am proud to be on the board of Invest India."

Meanwhile, Switzerland went on avalanche alert on Monday as fresh snow smothered much of the Alps a day before the World Economic Forum in Davos gets under way. A bulletin from the SLF Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos showed a broad band of the mountainous country under Level 5 avalanche danger, the highest on a 1-5 scale. "Fresh snow and snow drift accumulations are prone to triggering (avalanches). Until late in the night a large number of natural avalanches are to be expected," it said.  Snow slides could be deep and large, it added, posing danger to exposed settlements and transit routes. The accumulation of snow was the highest since 1999. 

PM Narendra Modi's Instagram account posts a photo of the leader in Davos, Switzerland, where he is taking part in the World Economic Forum. (Instagram/ @narendramodi)

Kotak said China took a position last year that it was an open platform for the world economy, while Trump is championing America First, so India needs to position itself uniquely.

PM's Modi's revolutionary and unorthodox reforms have generated a tremendous amount of interest in the global investor community: Dr Jitendra Singh, MoS, PMO in Davos.

European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his "America First" message. Politicians, business chiefs, bankers and celebrities will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World" for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop. A decade after the bankruptcy of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers helped trigger a global financial crisis, economic growth has returned and stock markets are hitting record highs. 

The global economy and geopolitical tensions are taking a back seat to a more immediate problem at this year's Davos summit of political and business leaders: heavy snow is burying the venue. High in the Swiss alps on Monday, on the eve of the opening sessions, many of the roughly 3,000 delegates struggled to reach the ski resort. Part of the main train line into Davos had been buried in snow over the weekend, forcing people onto buses, and helicopters were disrupted by poor visibility.  Some pre-summit meetings were cancelled or delayed as the first waves of delegates waded through snow-blanketed streets with luggage, looking for their hotels, or had to wait for road crews to dig their limousines out of drifts.

Davos: India was on Monday ranked at the 62nd place among emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index, much below China's 26th position and Pakistan's 47th.

RECAP | Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao, who is leading a delegation to the World Economic Forum 2018 Davos, addressed a meeting of the state diaspora at Zurich. Addressing the NRI's of Telangana there, he said, the state has embarked on a journey to fulfill the aspirations on which it was formed and within a short span of nearly four years several path breaking initiatives have been launched. KTR highlighted the developmental projects and initiatives taken up by the state government after it came to power in June 2014, an official release said. "Ensuring adequate irrigation facilities and addressing the issues related to basic amenities are the main priorities for the Telangana government," he said.

It is a great opportunity to market our country India. A lot of investors now a days are looking to invest in India. Govt has changed laws for ease of doing business. Global business community is very happy to invest in India: Yusuff Ali, Chairman, LuLu Group in Davos.

Addressing a roundtable before a dinner meet, PM Narendra Modi narrated India's growth story. He was accompanied by top government officials, including Vijay Gokhale, Jai Shankar and Ramesh Abhishek.

India has emerged as the fifth most attractive market for investments and the optimism over global economic growth is at a record level, a survey of CEOs by global consultancy PwC said. The findings come on a day when the rich and powerful are meeting here for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual summit. "The US remains the top spot for global investment, while India moves into the top 5," PwC's 21st CEO Survey said, adding that there is surprising faith and optimism among chief executives in the economic and business environment worldwide, at least over the next 12 months.

As the world leaders await to hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for India's engagement with the world, Indian CEOs made a strong pitch for a statesman like position for the country to counter the protectionism and domestic rhetoric likely to be presented by countries like the US. Eminent banker Uday Kotak, a Davos veteran who has been attending the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in this Swiss ski resort town for years, said India needs to understand the subtle difference between sales and marketing, and presents the India story accordingly while positioning itself in the role of a statesman.

'PM Has Great Story to Tell'

SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh says PM Narendra Modi has a “great story” to tell at Davos. “When we saw Chinese premier Xi Jinping here last year, there was a lot of focus on China and it's natural there would be a lot of focus on India this time. There have been very significant reforms including GST which have been in-waiting for so many years. There are also developments like bankruptcy law, digitisation and formalisation of the economy on a fast track basis, 42-place jump on ease of doing business index, etc. There is a good story on all economic parameters and of course there is the larger story also of 1.4 billion people, of a young population and of a massive market."

Two yoga teachers from India will hold daily classes next week at the summit, which has attracted 70 heads of state and government, including US President Donald Trump as well as celebrities, chief executives and top bankers.

In a first at the World Economic Forum, India will also host yoga training sessions for the entire duration of the meeting, while also showcasing Indian heritage and culture in Davos. On the sidelines of the WEF summit, the Swiss government will also host the annual informal WTO ministerial meeting, which will be attended by Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and his global counterparts.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Australian actress Cate Blanchett and legendary musician Elton John were presented with the annual 'Crystal Awards' for their respective work towards improving the state of the world. Receiving the award, Shah Rukh Khan applauded Blanchett -- who was honoured with the award just before him -- for being the queen of billions of hearts, including his own. He talked extensively about his social initiative, which he has named after his father and the reason for the same. The cine star also thanked his late mother, wife and his daughter for inspiring him. After thanking the WEF for the award, Khan finished his speech with namaskar and 'Jai Hind'. He was presented the award for "his leadership in championing children's and women's rights in India".

India on Monday hosted the welcome reception at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual gathering with ministers, business leaders and celebrities in attendance. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, industrialist Mukesh Ambani, cine star Shah Rukh Khan and film maker Karan Johar, among others, were present at the reception. Samosa, kachori and a lot of other Indian food items were on the platter at the reception.

Over 3,000 world leaders from business, politics, art, academia and civil society would be attending the meeting whose theme is 'Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World', where the Indian presence would be the largest ever with over 130 participants. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met Swiss President Alain Berset and discussed ways to deepen bilateral ties on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual summit. Sources said the two leaders are also believed to have discussed the progress on automatic exchange of tax information. A legislation in this regard was passed by the Swiss Parliament, following which banks and financial institutions have begun collecting data for the first exchange that is to begin from next year. Negotiations on EFTA (European Free Trade Association) trade pact and the bilateral investment protection agreement were also discussed, among various business and trade matters, they added.

On reaching Davos, held talks with the President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. @alain_berset. We reviewed the scope of our bilateral cooperation and discussed ways to deepen it even further. pic.twitter.com/aPOXnHrajt

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 22, 2018

Discussion in #Davos with the Prime Minister of #India @narendramodi The biggest and the oldest democraties in the world 🇮🇳 🇨🇭 we will continue to strengthen our relations with #India Thank you @narendramodi #WEF18

— Alain Berset (@alain_berset) January 22, 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first Indian PM to make an appearance at the high-profile summit in 20 years. The last Indian premier to attend the Davos summit was HD Deve Gowda in 1997. On Monday, PM Modi held a roundtable meeting with the CEOs of top global companies before his keynote address at the plenary session at WEF. Under the tagline of "India means business", the roundtable was attended by 40 CEOs of global companies and 20 from India. 

PM Narendra Modi will deliver the opening keynote address today morning at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He will also interact with 120 members of the International Business Council, which is a part of the WEF. PM Modi, in the course of his 24-hour visit, is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Sweden Prime Minister Stefan Lofven later today.