DUBAI: For Dubai, Expo 2020 is what the Olympics were to Japan, just that the Covid situation is not a concern in the UAE. The event which has been delayed by a year due to the pandemic, is seeing locals complain about the long wait for cabs but is also seen to be a major boost for tourism and a boost for the economy.
On Friday, India unveiled its pavilion, with a campaign to position the country as a go-to destination for business.
“Today’s India is one of the most open countries in the world. Open to learning, open to perspectives, open to innovation, open to investment. That is why I invite you to come and invest in our nation. Today, India is a land of opportunities. Be it in the field of arts or commerce, industry or academia, there is opportunity to discover, opportunity to partner, opportunity to progress. Come to India and explore these opportunities. India also offers you maximum growth. Growth in scale, growth in ambition, growth in results. Come to India and be a part of our growth story,” PM Narendra Modi said in a video message at the inauguration event for the Indian show.

The government is seeking investments to push domestic manufacturing and infrastructure creation in the country. The PM also used the event to mention the growing ties with the UAE.
Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said India and the UAE share a strategic and multi-faceted relationship resulting in the launch of negotiations for a proposed free trade agreement.

“Today India is the destination with the confluence of bright minds for a better future. You can bet on India and you can certainly win,” Goyal said. He highlighted how the government was seeking to position India as a manufacturing base for textiles to pharma.
“From launching the world’s most cost-effective space mission to producing the world’s first DNA based vaccine, India is voicing its capabilities to the world. India is rising high with reforms across all sectors,” the minister said

India is competing with nearly 190 countries, who are at the Expo, with its pavilion located next to Japan and opposite the American pavilion, which has a replica of the SpaceX shuttle.
UAE has spent billions of dollars in just concerting the 438-acre Expo site, once a barren desert, into the venue complete with green landscaping and seeking to showcase new technology to an estimated 2.5 crore visitors who are expected to visit over the next six months.