MC EXCLUSIVE Davos 2026: ‘Autumn Davos’ in India likely in 2027, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw at World Economic Forum in Davos on January 22

India could host an "Autumn Davos" as early as 2027, with discussions already underway with the World Economic Forum, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on January 22.

"The idea has come because today we are the fastest-growing major economy," Vaishnaw told Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Vaishnaw is the minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information & Broadcasting.

"The world would like to come to India as they have come to Europe or China," he said.

Vaishnaw said the proposal is still at a preliminary stage. "I think the realistic thing is to target something in 2027," he said, adding that the city is yet to be decided.

Responding to a question about his widely shared remarks rejecting the statement that India was a "tier-two" AI country,  Vaishnaw said, "I just stated the facts, nothing else."

He pointed to India's progress in telecom as a key differentiator.

"You move around in Europe, you'll find 5G as a very patchy thing. In India, 90 per cent of the country is covered under 5G," Vaishnaw said.

"Within four years, we have semiconductor manufacturing coming up and running," he said, adding that this confidence was visible in conversations at Davos.

"Practically every company, every group which has met us during this World Economic Forum, everybody is very positive, very optimistic about relations with India," he said.