On 7 April 2004, the IISS hosted a Special Round Table Discussion with Dr Amit Mitra, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Delhi.
Dr Mitra has been Secretary General of FICCI since 1995. He is on the Board of Directors of the largest steel and natural gas infrastructure companies in India, and a Member of the India-China Eminent Persons Group and Advisory Committee to the Union Commerce Minister on International Trade (WTO). He was also Chairman of the Radio Broadcast Policy Committee of the Government of India. With membership of over 500 chambers of commerce, trade associations and industry bodies, FICCI represents over 250,000 business units in India, which employ a total of 20 million people.
At the IISS, Dr Mitra spoke on ‘Economics of India's Defence and Security’, sharing his perceptions on the possible growth and future direction of the Indian economy. In his presentation Dr Mitra emphasised the potential and dynamism of the region, with special emphasis on the central role of China.
