Taking a dig at the Gujarat government authorities for alleged pulling down of one of its promotional hoardings in Ahmedabad ahead of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the Uttar Pradesh government today said that the former must be scared of it.
"The (Gujarat) government must be scared of us. Nevertheless, the matter is being investigated and we are taking it up with the state government. But if the Chinese Premier is welcome in Gujarat, then why not the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh?" Madhukar Jetley, minister of state rank and advisor - NRI, Government of Uttar Pradesh asked while addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday. A delegation from Uttar Pradesh, which is a co-partner in PBD this year, will be interacting with the Indian diaspora in a bid to attract investment to the state.
Commenting further on the hoarding issue, Jetley added that the matter will be taken up with the Government of Gujarat. The state of Uttar Pradesh has been heavily promoting itself with a flurry of hoardings across the city of Ahmedabad, some of which were allegedly removed by the local municipal authorities. However, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) denied its role in the matter.
Jetley further took a dig on Gujarat's development and its marketing by comparing the two states' metro projects.
"There are five mega metro projects coming up in Uttar Pradesh, of which while one is underway, the detailed project report (DPR) for the rest four is also in process and work is expected to begin by 2016. We have also included Varanasi for a metro project. However, in Gujarat, in the last 12 years the state has not started even one metro project," he said.
When asked if the Uttar Pradesh government was impressed by the development in Gujarat, Jetley said, "We are impressed by the way it has been marketed but we don't know about its development."
Claiming that Uttar Pradesh has also seen equal or more development, Jetley stated that large and small industries have been already present in the state.
"According to a World Bank report, Uttar Pradesh is among top five manufacturing states of India with a manufacturing output of 8.3 per cent in 2013. There are 176,033 units in sectors like handicrafts, wood, silver, tin, paper, stone, cotton, silk and leather. Under the Twelfth Five Year Plan, investments worth $3.15 billion, $2.68 billion and $1.15 billion is expected in power transmission, power distribution and renewable energy, respectively. UP will also be the first state in the country to have 4G services with Reliance ADA investing Rs 10000 crore for the project," Jetley added.
As per the UP government, the state also claimed to have the largest number of Indian diaspora of 221,000.
At the upcoming PBD, the state will look to attract investment on the back of mega policies and incentives for various sectors, said Jetley. Having formed a distinct Non-Resident Indian (NRI) department and a new dedicated website for NRIs, the Uttar Pradesh government will look to engage with NRIs on a bigger scale at the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Through the department, the Government plans to better safeguard the interests of NRIs in the state. According to Jetley, the new department will work towards technological, managerial and financial engagement of the U.P. NRIs, so as to collaborate the technical and professional skills and the human resource of the state for the economic and industrial development of the state. The newly launched website (upnri.com) will be a single-point forum for U.P. origin NRIs, the website showcases U.P. as an attractive investment destination for Indian Diaspora.
Meanwhile, the UP will also be showcasing its flagship infrastructure and industrial projects under implementation.
"The (Gujarat) government must be scared of us. Nevertheless, the matter is being investigated and we are taking it up with the state government. But if the Chinese Premier is welcome in Gujarat, then why not the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh?" Madhukar Jetley, minister of state rank and advisor - NRI, Government of Uttar Pradesh asked while addressing mediapersons here on Tuesday. A delegation from Uttar Pradesh, which is a co-partner in PBD this year, will be interacting with the Indian diaspora in a bid to attract investment to the state.
Commenting further on the hoarding issue, Jetley added that the matter will be taken up with the Government of Gujarat. The state of Uttar Pradesh has been heavily promoting itself with a flurry of hoardings across the city of Ahmedabad, some of which were allegedly removed by the local municipal authorities. However, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) denied its role in the matter.
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"The putting up of hoardings has been outsourced to a private contractor. The AMC has not sent out any such directions to pull down the hoardings and we have communicated this to the UP government as well," said D Thara, municipal commissioner, AMC.
Jetley further took a dig on Gujarat's development and its marketing by comparing the two states' metro projects.
"There are five mega metro projects coming up in Uttar Pradesh, of which while one is underway, the detailed project report (DPR) for the rest four is also in process and work is expected to begin by 2016. We have also included Varanasi for a metro project. However, in Gujarat, in the last 12 years the state has not started even one metro project," he said.
When asked if the Uttar Pradesh government was impressed by the development in Gujarat, Jetley said, "We are impressed by the way it has been marketed but we don't know about its development."
Claiming that Uttar Pradesh has also seen equal or more development, Jetley stated that large and small industries have been already present in the state.
"According to a World Bank report, Uttar Pradesh is among top five manufacturing states of India with a manufacturing output of 8.3 per cent in 2013. There are 176,033 units in sectors like handicrafts, wood, silver, tin, paper, stone, cotton, silk and leather. Under the Twelfth Five Year Plan, investments worth $3.15 billion, $2.68 billion and $1.15 billion is expected in power transmission, power distribution and renewable energy, respectively. UP will also be the first state in the country to have 4G services with Reliance ADA investing Rs 10000 crore for the project," Jetley added.
As per the UP government, the state also claimed to have the largest number of Indian diaspora of 221,000.
At the upcoming PBD, the state will look to attract investment on the back of mega policies and incentives for various sectors, said Jetley. Having formed a distinct Non-Resident Indian (NRI) department and a new dedicated website for NRIs, the Uttar Pradesh government will look to engage with NRIs on a bigger scale at the 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Through the department, the Government plans to better safeguard the interests of NRIs in the state. According to Jetley, the new department will work towards technological, managerial and financial engagement of the U.P. NRIs, so as to collaborate the technical and professional skills and the human resource of the state for the economic and industrial development of the state. The newly launched website (upnri.com) will be a single-point forum for U.P. origin NRIs, the website showcases U.P. as an attractive investment destination for Indian Diaspora.
Meanwhile, the UP will also be showcasing its flagship infrastructure and industrial projects under implementation.