Webinar: Waste Management and Water Treatment in India

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The webinar commenced with an introduction and opening remarks by Mr. Paul HERMELIN, Chairman, Business Council France-India, MEDEF International and Chairman of the Board, Capgemini. The participants were welcomed by Mr. Sumeet ANAND, President, IFCCI and Founder & CEO, Indsight Growth Partners. Mr. Anand also shared some insights on the ongoing initiatives between India and France in the sector of waste management and water treatment in India.

Furthermore, Mrs. Mélanie GRIGNON, Task Team Leader - Waste Expert, AFD Urban Division at the French Development Agency, spoke about the AFD’s operations in the sector. She mentioned that the key challenge for India is to come up with a viable economic model as there are certain fiscal issues which lead to constraints for the private companies. She also discussed the social and environmental challenges in India that hinders the possible funding of projects by French companies.

Her intervention was followed by a testimonial from Mr. Christophe WARNIER, Chief of Staff of Mrs. Ana GIROS, Senior Executive VP in charge of International and Industrial Key Accounts, Suez. Mr. Warnier mentioned that Suez has had a long journey in India and is certainly keen on further tapping the opportunities that are present in this country.

He also stated the challenges their sector had to face due to the current pandemic. He even highlighted the current ongoing projects in India for Suez; one in Bangalore which is a 60 million euros contract to produce drinking water for over 10 million inhabitants in Bengaluru, and another for 100 million euros in Lucknow to manage waste water network in Uttar Pradesh. 

This was followed by some key insights on the regulatory framework and policy initiatives in the waste management sector by Mrs. Nayantara NAG, Partner, Trilegal. She gave us an overview of the legislations in India and presented the different Clean India initiatives put in place by the government. Lastly, Mr. Anand KHETAN, Partner & Head – Indirect Tax Services, Rodl & Partner presented the various opportunities available in India for foreign companies in the water and waste management sector. He also shared a snapshot on the different market entry strategies and the taxation structure in this sector.

This was followed by the initiatives put in place by Business France presented by Mr. Eric FAJOLE, India Director, Business France.   The webinar was attended by around 50 participants and involved an interesting Q&A Session. The session was concluded Mr. Paul HERMELIN, Chairman, Business Council France-India, MEDEF International and Chairman of the Board, Capgemini who shared the closing remarks.