Chicago, USA – August 29, 2026
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed a high-level Business Roundtable with global investors and business leaders in Chicago, organised by India’s Consulate General in Chicago in partnership with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. The discussion centred on the theme “Manufacture in India for India and for the world”, spanning opportunities across manufacturing, AI and digital technologies, financial services, infrastructure, food processing, defence and advanced technologies.
“A key focus of the meeting was ‘Manufacture in India, for India and for the world’, with opportunities across manufacturing, AI & digital, financial services, infrastructure, food processing, defence and advanced technologies,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.
Beyond Assembly, Toward Component Depth
Sitharaman told investors that India’s manufacturing opportunity is shifting beyond basic assembly and toward deeper component manufacturing, engineering and advanced technologies, with production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes cited as a key policy lever supporting that transition. She positioned India’s large domestic market alongside its manufacturing scale as a combined proposition for companies reassessing global supply chains, a location that can serve Indian demand and export markets simultaneously, rather than one or the other.
Infrastructure and Financial Services as Investment Avenues
The minister pointed to India’s ongoing infrastructure build-out, dedicated freight corridors, railway modernisation, electrification and high-speed rail, as creating investment opportunities across technology, materials and specialised equipment. She noted that platforms such as the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) offer institutional capital routes into this expansion.
Sitharaman also highlighted GIFT City as an emerging international financial hub, citing 1,250 registered entities as of June 2026 spanning banking, fund management, reinsurance, aircraft and ship leasing, and sustainable finance.
Agriculture, Engineering and Technology Also on the Agenda
Beyond industrial manufacturing, Sitharaman highlighted opportunities in agricultural processing, driven by rising incomes and shifting consumption patterns, alongside India’s domestic technology and engineering ecosystem, including AI, analytics, product development, semiconductors and electronics, pointing to India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) base as an increasingly important innovation layer supporting the manufacturing pitch.
Context
The Chicago roundtable follows a series of similar engagements Sitharaman has held with global investors and business leaders through 2026, including discussions in Munich on the India-EU Free Trade Agreement’s implications for logistics and maritime partners and briefings to the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in New Delhi on Union Budget 2026-27 measures supporting semiconductors, electronics component manufacturing, biopharma and rare earth supply chains. The Chicago event reinforces a consistent theme across these engagements: positioning India’s reform agenda, skilled workforce and improved infrastructure as the basis for long-term manufacturing investment, rather than short-term cost arbitrage alone.
About the Roundtable: The Business Roundtable in Chicago was organised by the Consulate General of India, Chicago, in partnership with the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), bringing together global investors and business leaders to discuss manufacturing, technology and investment opportunities in India.