UP makes strong pitch to global investors at Expo

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, through a video message kickstarted the proceedings at the inauguration of UP floor at the India pavilion, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

The state of Uttar Pradesh will be showcasing its business attractiveness, sectoral developmental growth journey and investment opportunities across key sectors like food processing, tourism, textiles, MSMEs, healthcare, education and start-up at the India Pavilion in Expo 2020 Dubai, as the state week commenced from Friday.

Manish Chauhan, Director Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh, set the objectives of Uttar Pradesh’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai to showcase its growth story and explore areas of collaboration with our investor partners and the diaspora in the UAE. The state has seen tremendous improvement in infrastructure and business environment, under the visionary guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji and our dynamic Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, he further added.

The chief minister, through a video message kickstarted the proceedings at the inauguration of Uttar Pradesh floor at the India pavilion. He stated that ‘Uttar Pradesh is one of the biggest industrial market. Under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, by following the principle of ‘Reform-Perform-Transform’, the state has taken numerous initiatives to transform its industrial landscape.’

The state launched Nivesh Mitra; one of the largest single window system and sectoral policies, complimented by ideal law & order environment, which helped the state to achieve the 2nd rank in the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in 2019-20, in comparison to 14th rank in 2015-16.

He further highlighted the vision & achievements of the state and said:
Approximately INR 3.5 lakh crore worth of private investment actualized on-ground, as part of investment outreach; Highest number of MSMEs in the country; Launch of the One District One Product (ODOP) Scheme in 2018 to promote the indigenous craft of each district ;4 functional expressways i.e. Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway and Delhi Meerut Expressway. The foundation laying for the Ganga Expressway; one the longest expressway in India, to be done by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 18th December 2021.

Concluding his address, the chief minister said, ‘Despite highest population in India, the state’s effective Covid-19 management and vaccination of 17 crore population is indicator of the preparedness of the administration. He also highlighted the cultural richness of the state, birthplace of Lord Rama and Krishna, land of Lord Shiva and River Ganga, which continue to guide the people.’

K Kalimuthu, Consul (Economic, Trade & Commerce), in his address spoke about Uttar Pradesh being the land of varied cultures, highest registered MSMEs in India, ideal agro-climatic conditions, inspiring youth eager to contribute to the economic growth and nation building. He added, UAE & India had a trade of USD 60 billion pre-Covid and the recent economic partnership will further bolster the bilateral trade.

Cabinet Minister – NRI, MSME & Textile, Shri Siddharth Nath Singh, in his keynote address stated UAE being the 3rd largest trading partner and 9th largest FDI contributor to India, in infrastructure, power, tourism, metallurgical and services sector. Also, the large Indian community based in the UAE is a key contributor in the economic development. He highlighted the achievements of the state and performances indices as the testimony of the highly effective policy driven governance and business environment.

He further added the remarkable growth of the MSME sector in Uttar Pradesh. With ~9 million MSMEs, Uttar Pradesh is the hub of MSMEs in the country, contributing ~14% to the total MSME population in the country. He spoke about the new MSME Act which facilitates operations of MSME units within 72 hours of application, banks loan disbursement worth ~US$ 33 billion to state’s MSMEs, in the last four years (2017-18 to 2020-21) and the aspiration ‘One District One Product (ODOP) Programme’ to develop the indigenous craft & artisans of the state by creating an effective value chain, market linkages and export opportunities. In addition, he highlighted global private sector investment of over ~US$ 59 billion through MoU implementation and dedicated helpdesk, across sectors.

Concluding his address, he stated that Uttar Pradesh is one of the major suppliers of manpower to most of the gulf countries, including UAE. The NRI Department has taken steps like a dedicated recruitment agency – UPFC Overseas Manpower Recruitment Agency (OMRA), to help sourcing employees for potential employers aboard; hosting a ‘Migrant Resource Centre (MRC)’ at OMRA, which is committed to ensure safe and legal migration of UP labour; and setting up ‘UP NRI Grievance Redressal System (GRS)’, a single window to resolve all the issues faced by the diaspora.

Uttar Pradesh high-level delegation will be meetings potential investors and global companies to explore trade and investment opportunities for the state. The delegates from Uttar Pradesh will participate in incubator Meet & Mock Pitching Sessions, panel sessions on ‘India’s Strength in Education: STEM, Medicine and Business’ & ‘Liberal Arts Education in the making of a Global Citizen: The India Advantage’, industry visit to Allanasons Factory in Sharjah & DP World Jabel Ali Port, business meetings with industry associations (Dubai, Sarjah & Abu Dhabi) and many more business and cultural engagements.

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