Growing Prowess

In the past four months, many states from India exhibited their strength at Expo 2020 Dubai, thus initiating more investments on the global platform

The glittering jewel of Expo 2020 Dubai exhibited the participation of eight Indian states and union territories highlighting the diversity, ancient treasures and pioneering opportunities with the latest technology in the pavilion. The coming weeks will witness participation from states such as West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu among others.

Gujarat: The state of Gujarat (October 1-14) was the first state to participate in the India Pavilion. During its participation, the state showcased its vibrant pharma sector, smart cities along with its plan for sustainable development and organised many cultural events. Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, also addressed a special session on Dholera SIR (Special Investment Region) virtually during the state’s fortnight participation.

Karnataka: The Karnataka Week (October 15-21) witnessed the presence of Murugesh Nirani, Minister of Large and Medium Scale Industries and Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, Minister of Higher, Education, IT and BT, Science and Technology, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Government of Karnataka. The MoU signed between the Government of Karnataka and Gulf Islamic Investments (GII) was one of the key highlights during the state’s participation which garnered massive traction both nationally and internationally. Many startups from Karnataka ‘The Startup Capital of India’ participated at India Innovation Hub and the Elevate pitching series.

Ladakh: The month of November started with Ladakh Week (October 29 – November 4), with a series of events showcasing opportunities across focus sectors like sustainable infrastructure, connectivity, food processing and tourism in Ladakh. The inaugural session for Ladakh Week was addressed by Saugat Biswas, IAS, Divisional Commissioner/Secretary, Industries and Commerce – Union Territory of Ladakh. A special session titled ‘Pashmina, Apricot and Zero Waste Food Processing Intervention’ was organised by the Administration of Ladakh and FICCI jointly, wherein the participants discussed about the development and available opportunities in Ladakh for joint collaborations with the GCC countries.

Telangana: The Telangana Week (November 5-11) was also crucial in showcasing the women entrepreneurs and startups from the state. It mapped its tech prowess at the Expo 2020 Dubai with the launch of the world’s first AC helmet from the India Pavilion during the state’s week. Designed and manufactured by India’s award-winning tech and safety start-up, Jarsh Safety, the helmet is primarily made for the outdoor workforce and field executives.

Rajasthan: The Rajasthan Week’s (November 12-18) inaugural session was attended by its key ministers like Shanti Kumar Dhariwal, Minister for Urban Development and Housing, Parsadi Lal Meena, Minister for Industry and Arjun Singh Bamaniya, Minister of State for Industry, Government of Rajasthan, along with other senior government officials. The Rajasthan Week concluded on a successful note with 18 Letter of Intents (LoI) and 24 MoUs, involving an investment of around Rs40,000 crore, in sectors such as tourism, logistics, petroleum, agri and food processing, e-waste recycling and energy, IT, real estate etc.

Maharashtra: The Maharashtra fortnight (November 19- December 2) was inaugurated by Subhash Desai, Minister of Industries, Maharashtra, along with Aditi Tatkare, Minister of State for Industries and Tourism, and Amit V Deshmukh, Minister for Medical Education and Cultural Affairs of Govt. of Maharashtra. In addition to the business meetings held for the state, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) conducted a roundtable for the logistics and warehousing industry. Ajit Patil, Joint CEO, MIDC, addressed the round table and discussed the factors that make Maharashtra a lucrative destination in logistics and warehousing space. The Maharashtra Week concluded after witnessing success in garnering investment opportunities, as the state received investments of Rs15,260 crore (around $2 billion) and signed over 25 MoUs with global firms. In addition to the MoUs by Industries Department, other departments such as MMRDA, Skills, Tourism and Women and Child Development Department also signed co-operation MoUs with their global counterparts.

Madhya Pradesh: The Madhya Pradesh Week (December 3-9) showcased the state’s expertise across various sectors including tourism, FMCG and auto, among others. A 12-member high-level delegation headed by Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, Minister of Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion, Government of Madhya Pradesh, met potential investors and global companies to explore trade and investment opportunities for the state.

Uttar Pradesh: Uttar Pradesh’s participation (December 10-23) showcased the vast investment opportunities across key sectors like food processing, tourism, textiles, msmes, healthcare, etc. Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, kickstarted the proceedings for the state’s participation through a video message along with Siddharth Nath Singh, Minister of NRI, MSME and Textile and Satish Mahana, Minister of Industry Development, Uttar Pradesh. The participation concluded on a high note as the delegation led by Maneesh Chauhan, Director, Industries, Government of Uttar Pradesh, held 21 G2B meetings and signed an MoU of Rs500 crore with Sharaf Group which has shown interest in the development of Multimodal Logistics Parks with rail and road connectivity at Kanpur, Moradabad and Varanasi. Additionally, Lulu Group plans to invest Rs500 crore for establishing food processing units in Uttar Pradesh. DP World also agreed to participate in the tender process for the development of multi-modal logistics hub (MMLH) at Dadri, UP. The delegation from UP also had successful business meetings to explore trade and investment opportunities across sectors like logistics, food processing, tourism, textiles, MSMEs as it received favourable interest from business groups like Texmas, Hotel Revier Group, Techneplus, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Arenco Real Estate and Al Maya Group among others.

Jammu and Kashmir: A business delegation led by the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha, pitched investment opportunities to the global investors during the UT of Jammu and Kashmir’s participation (January 3-13). The state’s participation concluded on a successful note, as the UT attracted significant investment commitments worth Rs17,000 crore and signed seven MoUs and one LoI with global investors.

Goa: The Goa Week, which concluded on January 20, showcased its tourism prowess and business opportunities available in the state to global investors during its participation at the India pavilion. The week witnessed industry-specific expert sessions, round table discussions, B2B and G2G meetings along with cultural performances by prominent artists.