New Delhi to host ADB board meet in 2013

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Delhi will host the 46th annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in May 2013, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while releasing the logo of the event in the national capital on Saturday.

The logo, designed by the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, is based on the tribal motifs of central India, signifying the cycle of life.

The annual meeting will provide a valuable opportunity for brain-storming and exchange of ideas among intellectuals and policy makers from across Asia and the world, Mukherjee said.

The theme of the meet is 'Development through Empowerment'. It focuses on issues that are critical for sustaining high and inclusive growth in Asia.

The two-day event, scheduled for May 2 and May 3, 2013, is expected to receive around 4,000 participants from 67 countries.

Economists, investors, bankers, corporate leaders and nobel laureates are expected to participate in the event.

Given the size and scope of the meet, the government has also invited industry bodies - Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) - to be partners in the event.

India's association with the ADB dates back to 1966 as one of its founder members. ADB's lending operations in India commenced two decades later in 1986, and India has just completed 25 years of partnership with the institution.

This will be the third time that India will be hosting the annual meeting of ADB. The first time the event was held in Delhi in 1990, while the second time it was organised at Hyderabad in 2006. This time, it will be held in Greater Noida.