“It is the people of India, the businesses of India, and millions of MSMEs that are powering India’s growth story. It is our industry, whether large or small, our global capability centres, our emerging technologies, and our various startups, all of them collectively working towards this growth story. Together, they are driving innovation, creating jobs, strengthening our industries, and opening new opportunities for trade and investment”, stated Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry Government of India, and Chairman, 31st Partnership Summit at the Curtain Raiser event of the 31st Partnership Summit held in New Delhi on 8 October 2026.
The Curtain Raiser was organised to set the tone for the main event to be held on 12–13 November 2026 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
At the event Hon’ble Minster of Commerce and Industry emphasised India's transformation from seeking investments to becoming a preferred global destination. The key economic point included India’s goal of transitioning to a $30 trillion developed nation by 2047. This growth story was attributed to the impact of digital initiatives like the JAM Trinity and Digital India; the success of the India Stack, and the critical role played by MSMEs, which number approximately 63 million, in driving national growth.
He further said “every free trade agreement that we have entered into, protects the sensitive sectors, particularly Indian agriculture, our fishermen, our MSMEs, and also open up huge opportunities for export of agricultural products, fisheries and marine products, along with the exports of the high-precision items, engineering products, electronic products made by our MSMEs. This opens up huge investment opportunities for countries and companies around the world to come to India and enjoy the fruits of the world's largest market.”
Shri Goyal mentioned that India has concluded 9 FTAs with 38 developed countries covering $60 trillion in global GDP. He urged CII to establish FTA utilization desks at state councils to assist MSMEs with market access and rules of origin.
The event was also addressed by Shri N Chandrababu Naidu, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and Co-Chairman, 31st CII Partnership Summit.
Hon’ble Chief Minister stated “Everybody is talking about the ease of doing business; now, I am talking about the speed of doing business. I am happy to announce that all industrialists and investors in Andhra Pradesh will get their incentives online and will get transferred in real time to their escrow account. That is one leapfrog milestone wherein we are going to abolish all unnecessary procedures.”
He went on to outline Andhra Pradesh's strategic vision for industrial growth through infrastructure development, technology integration, and investor facilitation.
“If you look at the big projects, you will see AI Centre in Visakhapatnam, along with a steel city being built. Alongside this, multiple data centres are also coming in Visakhapatnam. A petrochemical complex is also being built in Ramayapatnam”, he said.
Hon’ble Minister spoke about the government of Andhra Pradesh’s aim to lead in high-tech manufacturing and digital governance through several emerging fields, including Quantum Computing, Digital Governance, and establishing a Horticulture Hub which would cover nearly 10 districts focused on agro-processing and natural farming with global traceability standards.
The event was also addressed by Mr R Mukundan, President, CII and Managing Director & CEO, Tata Chemicals, who stated that one of the strongest pillars of India’s economic growth story is Make in India. This includes the production linked incentive schemes, industrial corridors, and sector specific policies that we are deploying today, along with globally competitive manufacturing ecosystems across electronics, automobile, pharmaceuticals and textiles.
Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII spoke about the success of the Partnership Summit over the years, and stated “At the 31st CII Partnership Summit, we will have participation of delegates representing over 42 countries. The Summit will bring together around 20 ministers from across the world, along with more than 34 international experts and speakers. India has achieved phenomenal success in building strong global partnerships and opening new corridors of economic cooperation. This Summit aims to create new opportunities for trade, investment and stronger economic relationships across the world”.
The discussions at the curtain raiser underscored the role of global partnerships in strengthening India’s competitiveness and unlocking new opportunities across technology, trade and agriculture. They also highlighted the importance of labour reforms, Andhra Pradesh’s business-friendly environment, and seamless Centre–State collaboration in accelerating economic growth and enhancing India’s global standing.