Davos 2026: India’s biggest show yet: Ministers, states and CEOs head to WEF Summit

India is set to make a strong showing at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos later this month, with a large delegation of political and business leaders travelling to Switzerland as the country steps up efforts to diversify exports and secure access to critical minerals such as rare earths.

The WEF meeting, scheduled for January 19–23, will see participation from 10 Indian states, including five represented by chief ministers and two by deputy chief ministers, alongside four Union ministers and senior executives from both public and private sector companies. The Union ministers attending include Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Information Technology and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu.

Among the chief ministers expected in Davos are Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis, Assam’s Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh’s Mohan Yadav, Telangana’s A Revanth Reddy and Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu. Karnataka and Gujarat will be represented by Deputy Chief Ministers DK Shivakumar and Harsh Sanghavi, respectively. Delegations from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Kerala are also slated to attend.

Andhra Pradesh will once again have a dedicated pavilion at the WEF, with IT Minister Nara Lokesh leading the state’s outreach to global investors and export markets. The focus will include agri-exports such as shrimp, which has faced pressure following higher tariffs in the US.

Assam is also looking to use the global platform to showcase its economic turnaround. Chief Minister Sarma recently said the Reserve Bank of India has identified Assam as the fastest-growing state economy, recording growth of 45% over the past five years. The state’s gross domestic product is projected to rise to ₹7.42 trillion in 2025–26 from ₹4.11 trillion in 2020–21. Sarma said Assam’s inclusion alongside industrially advanced states at Davos would help it engage more closely with leading industrial groups.

The Indian business delegation is expected to include Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Bajaj Group’s Sanjiv Bajaj, Godrej Industries’ Nadir Godrej, and JSW Group’s Sajjan and Parth Jindal. Senior leaders from Bharat Forge, Vedanta, Apollo, Bharti Group, Infosys, Wipro, Essar and Renew Power are also likely to attend. Several heads of public sector enterprises, including Indian Oil, GAIL, State Bank of India, NTPC and REC, will be part of the delegation.

This year’s WEF summit, themed “A Spirit of Dialogue”, will bring together around 60 heads of state and government, including US President Donald Trump. The forum will focus on five broad challenges: cooperation in a more contested world, unlocking new growth, investing in people, scaling innovation responsibly and building prosperity within planetary boundaries—areas where India hopes to position itself as a key global partner.