HOUSTON, TX (TIP) Houston India conference is hosting first of the series conference on March 24 – 25 in Houston. The Houston India conference is designed to bring various constituencies that have an interest in India together and discuss with them the latest developments and the best practices of doing business in India. The theme of 2017 Conference is “Make in India – The Inside Story“.

Make in India is a major national initiative of the Government of India, designed to foster innovation, enhance skills development, protect intellectual property, build best in class manufacturing infrastructure, facilitate investment and collaboration.

Texas has a large interest in India. India is one of the major business partners for companies in this area. There is a large Indian presence in the educational, medical and research institutes that Houston is renowned for. The GDP of Texas at US$ 1.7 trillion would make it the 10th largest economy in the world, if it were an independent nation. Texas is home to 54 (or 11%) of Fortune 500 companies. The central focus of the Houston India Conference is to share today’s India story with the audience in Texas who are interested in investing in India, by the people who are playing an important role in shaping up the modern India.

The conference has a series of panel discussions on the state of the Indian economy and politics, and to explore India’s growing soft power on the global stage. The panelists are some of the most respected voices, including foreign policy experts, business pioneers, and thought leaders sharing their insights on the unique Indian way of thinking.

The topics of panel discussions are:

Panel 1: Understanding Modern India: Democracy Delivering Growth

Panel 2: Why is India the Fastest Growing Economy in the World and is it Sustainable?

Panel 3: India USA Partnership

Panel 4: Soft Power of India

Prominent speakers include: India’s Ambassador to USA Navtej Sarna, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal, Foreign Policy Expert Dhruva Jaishankar, and JournalistAshok Malikamong others.

The conference is organized by the Consulate General of India in Houston, India House, University of Houston, US India Skills and Education Council, Asia Society Texas Center, Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston and World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth.