India’s High Commissioner to Singapore Ms.Vijay Thakur Singh launches the book on Indian socio-economy in Singapore. Joining the launch on 12 September 2014 are Dr V P Nair, President of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin, book co-author, Gurdip Singh and Sameer Mohindru as well as Vikram Khanna, associate editor of Singapore’s Business Times.
ENARADA, Singapore, September 16, 2014
India has made a very strong pitch for entrepreneurs from Singapore and the rest of South East Asia and East Asia to accelerate their investments in the South Asian giant.
Launching a book, “What’s up! What’s Down! Essays on Indian Socio-Economy”, at the Singapore Management University, seasoned diplomat and India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Vijay Thakur Singh called upon people from all professions to come forward for making investments into various sectors and explore business opportunities in India.
“To the question, what’s up? what’s down, my answer is that everything is up,” High Commissioner Singh said while addressing a large gathering of the Indian diaspora and university staff and students before launching the 224-page book put together by Singapore-based journalists, Gurdip Singh and Sameer C. Mohindru.
From smart cities to industrial corridors to river cleaning and expansion in education sector, the message is loud and clear, “India is full of opportunities,” Singh said.
She laid special stress on the fact that 2014 marks the golden jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore, an occasion to boost bilateral social, economic, cultural and trade ties.
There is a renewed interest from foreign investors backed by the commitment of the more than 25 million strong Indian diaspora spread worldwide, Singh said.
At a time when India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just concluded a highly successful visit to Japan and is getting ready to host the Chinese President followed by the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and East Asia summit in Myanmar, the ball has been set rolling for India’s engagement with the world.
The book has for the first time brought together under a single umbrella some of the leading minds in the world of academics and business who have followed the India story closely through various trials and tribulations for decades.
The book is dedicated to the Delhi braveheart girl, who was brutally raped on 16th December 2012 in Delhi. The two journalists who have edited the book closely followed and reported on the tragedy while she was undergoing treatment in Singapore.
Among those who have contributed to or have been interviewed for the book are Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Group; Ambassador Gopinath Pillai, an entreprenuer with investments in India; Dr V P Nair, a leading cardiologist; Amir Jumabhoy, a prominent businessman; Girija Pande, former chairman of Tata Consultancy Services in Singapore; Tejinder Narang, noted commodities columnist and R. Narayananmohan, chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“We have already prepared a multi-year, 10-year, 15-year and 20-year view on the direction our business will take in India,” Piyush Gupta, chief executive of Singapore’s DBS Bank group is quoted as saying in the book.
If you take the long-term view of India, the opportunity is too big and too immense to ignore, stressed Gupta, underlining DBS’s commitment to the Indian market.
DBS wants to expand and build a larger network in India, he said, pointing out that the bank has been operating for over 15 years in the country.
Investors believe in India’s strong economic growth story, and call for more pro-business regulatory environment to accelerate development across the country,” said Mohindru, the Singapore-based journalist.
The growth story is reflected in the uptrend seen in the stock market, the firming rupee and increase in construction activity, among other positive developments, added Gurdip Singh.
The new government’s announcements of a slew of mega projects, including the 100 smart cities, are catalysts for the large scale economic development of India, said Vikram Khanna, an associate editor with Singapore’s Business Times while participating in a panel discussion before the book was unveiled.
