Hyderabad Gears Up To Host Global Entrepreneurship Summit

The city is decked up to host the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which will be inaugurated by Prime Minster Narendra Modi tomorrow.

US President Donald Trump's daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump will lead a delegation from her country at the three-day event.

In view of the event's prominence, the Telangana government allotted funds for the city's beautification and for the arrangements of the summit, a senior official said.

"Utmost care is being taken for the smooth functioning of the event," he said.

The event will primarily focus on four thematic sectors -- energy and infrastructure; healthcare and life sciences; financial technology and digital economy; and media and entertainment sectors, according to its agenda.

Officials of the Special Protection Group and the US Secret Service have visited Hyderabad and reviewed the arrangements, an official at the police commissionerate said.

"As many as 10,400 security personnel drawn from various wings will be deployed to oversee security arrangements for the summit," Telangana's Director General of Police M Mahendar Reddy said yesterday.

Modi and Ivanka Trump along with 100 special guests would also attend a special dinner tomorrow at the Falaknuma Palace, now a plush hotel, in the old city, Hyderabad's Police Commissioner V V Srinivasa Rao said.

The dinner will be served on a Nizam-era table around which 101 guests can sit at a time, the official said.

A separate dinner would be arranged for around 1,500 to 2,000 delegates on the lawns of the palace, he said.

Newly-crowned Miss World Manushi Chhillar, star woman cricketer Mithali Raj and ace tennis player Sania Mirza will be among the speakers at the summit, on the theme of 'Women First, Prosperity for All', as per the agenda of the GES.

Chhillar and actor Sonam Kapoor will speak in a session on 'The Female Influencer: Advancing Women's Opportunities in the Media Industry'.

Mithali Raj, Sania Mirza and Indian badminton team's chief national coach P Gopichand will speak at a session on 'The Business of Winning at Sports Entrepreneurship', on November 29.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will participate in a session on 'The City that Never Sleeps: Cities of Tomorrow'.

Over 1,500 delegates, including entrepreneurs and investors, CEOs of major knowledge-based industries, representing the full measure of entrepreneurial talent from diverse backgrounds across the world, are expected to attend the summit.

The NITI Aayog has taken the lead in organising the event.

(PTI)