By Chandan Singh | Page 3 News Worldwide | New Delhi
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav (BVM) 2026, a major national platform showcasing India’s trade strength, entrepreneurship, innovation and the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, was inaugurated at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The four-day event, being held from August 12 to 15, has been jointly organised by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), bringing together more than 700 exhibitors from across the country.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Mahotsav in the presence of Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, former Union Minister and CAIT Strategic Advisor Smriti Irani, Swadeshi Jagran Manch senior leader Kashmiri Lal, CAIT Secretary General and MP Praveen Khandelwal, besides thousands of traders, MSMEs, startups, manufacturers, exporters, women entrepreneurs and representatives of trade organisations.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal : Traders are a key pillar of India’s growth
Addressing the gathering, Goyal described India’s trading community as a key pillar of the country’s economic progress and said India had entered a new era of self-reliance, innovation and global competitiveness.
Congratulating CAIT and ITPO for organising the event, he said the Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav reflected the strength, capability and confidence of India’s traders.
Goyal stressed that the transformation India seeks must begin from within. Recalling former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision, he said self-reliance and development complement each other.
He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India had made unprecedented progress towards self-reliance, with Indian products, manufacturers and entrepreneurs increasingly gaining recognition in international markets.
According to Goyal, India’s exports are continuously setting new records and the country is moving rapidly towards becoming a one-trillion-dollar export economy. He said exports had grown by nearly five per cent over the preceding four months, while countries across the world were showing increasing interest in strengthening trade and economic relations with India.
He also said the “Reform Express” under Modi’s leadership would take India to new heights of global economic leadership.
‘Stop calling them small traders’, says CAIT Strategic Advisor Smriti Irani
Smriti Irani urged the country to move away from describing India’s trading community as “small traders”, highlighting their contribution to employment, economic activity and social stability.
She pointed to initiatives including the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Digital India as programmes that have created new opportunities for traders and entrepreneurs.
Highlighting the scale of India’s digital transformation, Irani said the country records nearly 240 billion digital transactions, facilitating economic activity of approximately ₹314 lakh crore.
She said the idea of organising Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav had been conceived nearly five years ago and praised the trading community for turning the vision into reality despite challenges and limited resources. She particularly congratulated Khandelwal and the wider trade fraternity for leading the initiative.
CAIT Secretary General and MP Praveen Khandelwal calls Mahotsav a landmark for India’s traders
CAIT Secretary General and MP Praveen Khandelwal described BVM 2026 as a historic milestone for India’s trading community.
He said the Mahotsav was more than a trade exhibition, describing it as a national movement connecting traders, MSMEs, startups, manufacturers and entrepreneurs with the journey from “Vocal for Local” to “Local to Global”.
Khandelwal said expanding global markets were creating unprecedented opportunities for Indian traders, MSMEs and manufacturers, allowing Indian products to reach wider international markets.
He emphasised that the Mahotsav represented a significant step towards the vision of “Vocal for Local, Local to Global and Atmanirbhar Bharat” and would contribute to strengthening India’s position as a global trading power.
FTAs widening global opportunities for Indian businesses
Jitin Prasada said India had established a strong position on the global economic stage, with pro-industry and pro-trade policies creating new opportunities for Indian businesses.
He highlighted India’s Free Trade Agreements with various countries, saying they had opened additional avenues for traders, exporters and MSMEs to access international markets.
According to Prasada, growing global interest in economic partnerships with India reflected the country’s expanding economic and diplomatic influence.
700-plus exhibitors showcase India’s commercial strength
Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav 2026 features more than 700 exhibitors, representing startups, manufacturers, exporters, women entrepreneurs, trade organisations, government institutions and private enterprises from across India.
The event aims to promote Indian products, strengthen domestic trade, encourage innovation and establish stronger connections between Indian businesses and global markets.
A key attraction is the Bharat Innovation and Startup Exchange (BISE), alongside trade, industry, technology and knowledge-sharing sessions designed to encourage collaboration, business expansion and innovation.
With its central message of “Vocal for Local, Local to Global, and Atmanirbhar Bharat,” the Mahotsav seeks to showcase the collective strength of India’s traders, entrepreneurs and manufacturers and their ambition to build a stronger domestic economy while expanding India’s footprint in global commerce.
