Piyush Goyal rolls out red carpet for Swiss firms to invest in India

New Delhi: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has invited Swiss companies to expand their footprint in India and take advantage of the country’s dynamic and rapidly growing market.

The minister held a meeting in Bern with the leadership from several premier Swiss companies across diverse sectors and urged them to see India as a strategic hub for manufacturing, talent, and innovation.

The discussions focussed on enhancing synergies between Indian and Swiss enterprises, with a special emphasis on innovation, technology transfer, and sustainable manufacturing, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.

Goyal assured the business leaders of India’s unwavering commitment to fostering a conducive business environment through transparent regulatory processes, a robust Intellectual Property regime, and pro-investment policy frameworks.

Following these strategic discussions, the Minister chaired two focussed roundtables with sectoral leaders from the Swiss industry —covering biotech and pharma, healthcare, and precision engineering, Defence, and Emerging Technologies.

These sessions, hosted with the support of the Indian Embassy in Switzerland, highlighted India’s scale, affordability, and rising innovation ecosystem.

The Minister called on Swiss businesses to leverage the dedicated EFTA Desk at Invest India for handholding and facilitation support.

He reiterated India’s willingness to work towards regulatory harmonisation and mutual recognition agreements, highlighting India’s proactive stance on building reciprocal bridges to encourage Swiss and Indian investments.

In addition to industry interactions, the Minister also met with members of the Switzerland Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).

He lauded the chapter for their contributions and for upholding the high standards and global reputation of the ICAI, while strengthening the India–Switzerland professional and business ecosystem.

Swiss industry leaders across a diverse range of sectors — including biotechnology, precision manufacturing, healthcare, automation, Defence, cybersecurity, and advanced materials — expressed strong confidence in India’s trajectory as a global economic powerhouse and an innovation-led growth destination, the statement said.

Companies commended India’s unique strengths: A vast and dynamic market, growing middle class, world-class engineering and scientific talent, and a policy environment that actively promotes ease of doing business, IP protection, and technology partnerships.

For many, India is not only a promising market but also an ideal base for manufacturing, R&D, and co-creation of globally competitive solutions.

Several firms indicated active interest in forming joint ventures, scaling operations, and localising production to serve both Indian and international markets.

From cutting-edge cancer therapies and cell sciences to industrial automation, fibre optics, space technologies, and digital security, Swiss companies underscored their alignment with India’s developmental priorities and sectoral growth plans.

The sentiment was one of strategic alignment and long-term commitment.

Many participants described India as a natural partner and conveyed readiness to invest in its next phase of growth, not only to tap into domestic demand but to position India as a hub in their global value chains, the statement added.

IANS