india

Updated: Sep 20, 2019 04:31 IST

Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath are expected to attend the upcoming World Hindu Economic Forum in Mumbai next week to discuss the country’s economic agenda, a person familiar with the matter said.

The conference comes at a time when there are concerns over economic slowdown and reports of layoffs. The country registered a growth rate of 5% in the first quarter of 2019-20, the lowest in over six years, as per official data.

The three-day event, from September 27 to 29, will be attended by Ajay Piramal, chairman of the Piramal Group; Vivek Lall, vice president (strategy & BD) at the Lockheed Martin; Banmali Agarwala, president of Infrastructure and Defense & Aerospace at Tata Sons, among other industry majors. The annual event was started in 2012 in Hong Kong.

Guna Magesan, a former senior scientist in New Zealand and now a volunteer at the forum, said the conference is being held to create a platform for investors and start-ups. “My view is that there are only a few sectors that are facing a downturn, such as the real estate sector,” Magesan said.