CM Adityanath braces for global investors' summit amid civic poll conundrum

Mega event likely to take place in February 2018; PM Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind among invitees

Amid rising heat on account of the upcoming civic polls in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is inconspicuously, yet assiduously, preparing for the proposed global investors' summit early next year.

Taking some time off from his state-wide poll campaign, CM Adityanath has been keeping track of the preparations for the mega event, likely to be held in February 2018.

The Adityanath-led BJP government had decided to hold the summit in Lucknow, instead of Agra, keeping in mind considerations made on logistical and publicity fronts.

Under the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party regime, Agra was the chosen venue for the mega event in the state.

According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind are among the invitees of the two-day high octane summit. The heads of several Asian countries along with ambassadors representing foreign nations are also slated to attend the event.

Besides, around 5,000 Indian and foreign businessmen, investors and industrialists are expected to participate in the mega-summit aimed at promoting the ‘Brand UP’ and ‘Make in UP’ initiatives of the state government. The state hopes to attract investments in various sectors through the summit.

UP had already implemented its new industrial policy, apart from taking other policy measures to spur private investments and create a conducive business environment in the state.

Under Akhilesh Yadav’s regime, UP had slipped in the Ease of Doing Business table to the 14th spot, from its previous ranking at 10. The state trailed primarily on account of stiff competition from peer states at a time when the leading states improved their score by greater margins than UP. The Adityanath government is consequently striving to re-enter the Top 10 league on this front.

While reviewing the preparations for the summit, Adityanath spoke to state officials, upon whom he impressed the need to leverage UP’s position in the wake of investors’ renewed interest in the region.
 

STEPS TAKEN UNDER ADITYANATH REGIME TO BOOST INVESTMENTS IN STATE

Ambassadors of Netherlands and Thailand met CM Adityanath in Lucknow this week and discussed investment opportunities in UP. Both the countries showed a keen interest in partnering with the UP government for business tie-ups in multiple sectors, including dairy, poultry and agriculture, among others.

Adityanath recently visited Mauritius, where he urged the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in the state.

Last month, a high-level delegation comprising representatives of top US companies had arrived in Lucknow to meet the CM and explore investment opportunities in a variety of sectors. Among the firms were Boeing, Adobe, Facebook, Uber, Honeywell, CocaCola, Mastercard, P&G, Oracle, GE Health, Monsanto, Medtronic, Cargill and Azure, among others. The visit was organised under the aegis of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

The UP government is in the process of setting up a dedicated cell at the CM’s office to monitor investment proposals.