FM to hardsell India abroad

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has got down to serious business of luring Fortune 500 companies into India. Beginning October 6, he is scheduled to address global CEOs and fund managers in New York for two days under the India Investment Forum banner and then in London on October 8.

According to finance ministry officials, the events are being hosted by global investment banks including DSP Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. While the India Investor Forum is being sponsored by Euromoney Institutional Investor with DSP Merrill Lynch and State Bank of India as co-partners, the meet in London is being hosted by Morgan Stanley.

Chidambaram, who prefers to be known more as India’s “investment minister”, is slated to attend the three-day World Bank-International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington beginning October 1. This will be his first overseas official trip since he took over the reins in North Block.