Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today invited American industries to 'Make in Jharkhand', calling on businesses from across the US to invest in sectors like agriculture as he touted investor-friendly policies and an atmosphere of ease of doing business in his state.
"Both the 'niyat' (intention) and 'niti' (policy) of the state government are good. For the economic development of any state, industrial growth plays a very important role. Jharkhand is a land full of opportunities and possibilities, whether in industry, agriculture, IT or tourism," Das told PTI here.
Das said states will play a crucial role in the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious Make in India programme by giving a strong call to investors to 'Make in Jharkhand'.
Addressing a large gathering of investors, Das rolled out the red carpet for investors, saying Jharkhand is one of the richest states in the country and assured security of investment to industries and entrepreneurs.
"I invite you to invest in Jharkhand, there are several possibilities in various sectors. Jharkhand has the potential to become an IT and automobile hub," he said at a seminar organised here yesterday by Confederation of Indian Industries in partnership with USIBC on the investment opportunities in Jharkhand.
"It is not only a mineral-rich state, but has land bank, human resources, single window clearance system for investors and entrepreneurs and offers tremendous investment opportunities across sectors such as agriculture, industry, IT medical, food processing, textile and higher education," he said.
He added that the state's medical, urban development and higher education sectors also offer tremendous investment opportunities.
Das, leading a delegation from his state, is on a multi-city tour of the US to attract foreign direct investment for giving impetus to Jharkhand's mining sector.
After arriving in the US on September 26, he kicked off his official schedule by attending the Mining Expo near Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada which is said to be the largest mining show in the world.
He also noted that the state government is focussing on transforming Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Bokaro into smart cities.
Das also congratulated Modi for India's surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC and said Pakistan should mend its ways and focus on fighting poverty and ensuring development of its citizens.
Calling on US investors and the Indian diaspora to
contribute and invest in the economic growth of the state, Das said India and the US have to continue to work together to realise the vision of Modi and President Barack Obama of betterment of society and sustainable devlopment for all.
The Indian diaspora, which has made significant contributions to America's economic prosperity over the years, should also play a role in the development of Jharkhand with not only their investments but their expertise as well, he said.
He said in the almost 20 months that his government has been in power in the state, investments of about Rs 23,000 crore have come in Jharkhand.
The Chief Minister added that Jharkhand has not been able to realise its full economic potential due to the 14 years of "political instability" in the state before his government came to power.
Jharkhand is now among the top five states in the country on ease of doing business, improving its ranking from the 27th position, he said underscoring that his government has put in place investor-friendly policies.
He said despite being a coal-rich state, Jharkhand has been dealing with shortage of electricity and his government is taking measures to ensure that its citizens get improved power supply.
"We have set a target of producing 20,000 MW of electricity by 2020," he said.
Das also extended an invitaion to American investors and companies for the global investors summit to be held in Ranchi in February next year.
