The Jharkhand government has nominated Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) President Aditya Malhotra and Secretary General Rohit Agarwal to be part of Jharkhand’s high-level delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
The nomination was made by the Directorate of Industries, Government of Jharkhand. To outline the Chamber’s role and expectations from the global summit, a press conference was organised at the Chamber Bhawan in Ranchi on Friday.
Addressing the media, Chamber President Aditya Malhotra said that in developed states and countries, governments accord the highest priority to industry and trade. He described the decision to include the Jharkhand Chamber in the delegation, on the initiative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, as historic. He noted that this would be the first time a Jharkhand Chief Minister is personally attending the Davos summit.
Malhotra said Jharkhand has strong potential to emerge as a leader in sunrise sectors such as mining, climate solutions, green and renewable energy, and critical minerals. He added that the Davos visit is expected to strengthen the state’s budget size, GDP growth and investment prospects.
Secretary General Rohit Agarwal termed the nomination a matter of pride for the Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce. He informed that the delegation would depart for New Delhi on Friday before proceeding to Davos, and that the Chamber would work closely with the state government to project Jharkhand as an attractive destination for global investors.
Joint Secretary Rohit Poddar said that in the 25 years since Jharkhand’s formation, this was the first occasion when the state’s business and industry community had received representation at such a high global platform. He pointed out that the Davos meeting would see participation from around 130 countries, nearly 3,000 global leaders and 850 top CEOs, along with delegations from 10 other Indian states. Jharkhand being allotted a separate pavilion at the forum was a major achievement, he said.
Former Chamber President Kishore Mantri observed that when the head of the state personally takes industry along, investor confidence naturally rises. Vice President Praveen Lohia said that in the Chamber’s 65-year history, this was the first instance of participation alongside the state government at a global platform, signalling a bright future for Jharkhand.
Executive Committee member Aastha Kiran noted that the Davos forum was not limited to business alone but also served as a platform for cultural representation, adding that women’s representation from the state was a matter of pride. Other executive members, including Mukesh Agarwal, Vikas Vijayvargiya, Amit Sharma, Anish Budhiya and Dr Abhishek Ramadhin, jointly described the decision as historic and said the partnership between the government and the Chamber marked a new beginning for Jharkhand.
