Sundar Pichai to Host 'Google for India' New Delhi Event Next Week

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is visiting India next week on his first overseas trip after taking over as the head of the tech giant to host a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday. He will also address Delhi University's Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) on December 17.

Pichai will deliver the keynote address at the Google for India event, where he will outline the company's plans for India. The company's invite reads, "India is at the centre of a digital revolution today, with millions of Indians getting online every month. India has always been key for Google and we continue to work towards evolving our product offerings for the unique needs of our users. Join Sundar Pichai and other senior leaders from Google as we lay out our vision and strategy to contribute in making India the hub of development, growth and innovation."

Last year, Pichai was in India for the global launch of Google's ambitious project to make pure Android available on affordable phones - with the Android One initiative. The company is expected to launch the second phase of Android One phones in India, with reports earlier this year quoting Google India managing director Rajan Anandan to say the company planned to make the smartphones even more affordable. A more recent report had tipped the loosening of restrictions on Android One manufacturers in terms of components to allow them to differentiate their smartphones in the market.

During his visit, Pichai is also expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 43-year-old alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur had met Modi in September during the Prime Minister's visit to the Silicon Valley in September.

Google had announced that it will collaborate with the Indian Railways to provide Wi-Fi services at 500 stations by next year. He had also announced that Google will enable users to type in 11 Indian languages, including Modi's mother tongue Gujarati on the Android platform.

In the meanwhile, a senior college official from SRCC told PTI, "We had invited Google CEO for an interactive session at SRCC and we have got a confirmation from Google about the same. Pichai will be addressing and interacting with students on December 17 during the session 'Ask Sundar'."

The open session at SRCC will be of two-hour duration, however, timings for the same are yet to be confirmed. Chennai-born Pichai is coming to India on December 16.

Written with inputs from PTI