Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, were in Bengaluru for a NASSCOM event.
Traffic jams in a digital world, many roads in Bengaluru came to a standstill as traffic curbs added to the regular commuting blues. One man on a motorbike told NDTV, "My log in time is 8am. I am already 45 minutes late. I just don't know what to say."
The reason for the additional jams on the city's already crowded roads was the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who were in town to talk of working together for a digital tomorrow. PM Modi stressed on the steps taken by his government to simplify doing business in India.
He told a gathering of Indian and German businesspersons at a NASSCOM organized event, "I have always said government has no business to do business. At a time of global slowdown, India represents a bright spot for investment. While in Bengaluru, I must add that it is software of India that will move hardware across the world."
Chancellor Merkel said, "Both countries face demographic challenges of different kinds India needs jobs for its skilled labour. Germany needs skilled labour. I would welcome it if free trade discussions could continue...Indian investors are warmly welcomed in Germany. A free trade agreement would work both ways."
The business leaders in attendance seemed largely upbeat after the meeting.
Chanda Kocchar, CEO of the ICICI Bank said, "The big takeaway is that they realized India is a big market. Many steps are being taken to ensure ease of doing business."
Kumaramangalam Birla, Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group said, "The Germans had a candid conversation about the difficulties they had faced doing business in India but were encouraged that Modi made ease of doing business a core issue as well as the theme of Make in India. They seemed to come away enthused."