Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said time has come for India to host a World Economic Forum-style global conclave, citing strong investor confidence, sustained high growth and wide recognition of the economic reforms that have been undertaken in the past 11 years under the BJP-led Central Government.“There is a suggestion that now the time has come when we should be having a World Economic Forum in India, kind of an Autumn Davos in India. This idea itself shows the recognition of our country and of our economy,” Vaishnaw said while speaking to a private news channel.He said global investors increasingly understand and appreciate what he described as the “reforms express” flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing to landmark changes such as the Goods and Services Tax, opening up of the nuclear sector and structural reforms across virtually every segment of the economy.“People recognise that the investment momentum is very strong. India is seen as the fastest-growing major economy, with inflation under control, a very healthy government balance sheet and very low debt in the economy,” the minister said.Vaishnaw added that India was expected to continue growing at 6-8 per cent in real terms and 10-13 per cent in nominal terms over the next five years, supported by moderate inflation and robust domestic demand.Speaking earlier at a session titled ‘Bet on India-Bank on the Future’, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with EY on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, the minister stressed the importance of simplifying regulatory processes to sustain growth.Highlighting improvements in ease of doing business, Vaishnaw said the average time taken for installation of a telecom tower had been slashed from 270 days to just seven days, with nearly 89 per cent of permissions now being granted in zero time.He underlined the need to bridge the gap between political intent and administrative functioning, asserting that it was the responsibility of political leadership to ensure that the bureaucracy aligns with policy direction.Vaishnaw also called for greater communication and coordination within industry, pointing to the need for standardisation of data localisation norms across major economies such as the US and Europe to facilitate smoother global operations.Taken together, he said, India’s reform momentum, macroeconomic stability and administrative streamlining have placed the country in a position where it could credibly host a global economic forum of the scale and stature of Davos.