UP CM Yogi Adityanath Meets Top U.S. Firms to Seek Investments

Representatives of top companies in the United States met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and important state government officials on Oct. 23 as part of the Lucknow program of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, which will be attended by Ivanka Trump from Nov. 28-30. They urged the government to facilitate partnerships and investment in the state.

The meeting was arranged under the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). The delegates asked the state government to appoint a key official to look after the facilitation process. The delegation included Boeing India head Pratyush Kumar and executives from US companies such as Merck & Co., Medtronic Inc., Oracle Corp., Cargill Inc., GE Healthcare Ltd, Adobe Systems Inc., and Facebook Inc.

For ease of doing business, a single window system has been set up under the supervision of the chief minister’s office, which will speed up permissions and clearances, Adityanath said. He assured the delegation of his government’s commitment to provide a conducive environment for investments through improved power supply, road connectivity and security situation in the state.

“In this endeavor, the UP government should appoint a dedicated empowered senior official, to facilitate and fast-track US investments into the state,” Nivedita Mehra, managing director, India, USISPF, said in a statement.

State Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said: “You have the opportunity to invest in other states, but for your effort to come to Uttar Pradesh and show interest, we thank you, we look forward to keeping you here.”

The “US in UP” initiative is based on the “Vibrant Gujarat” model. It will promote the opportunities that the state presents in sectors such as in chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, cement, gems, textiles and engineering sectors, Singh told PT. He added that 26 US firms, headed by Boeing, are exploring investment avenues in Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from the USISPF, the US Trade and Development Agency also met officials in the state government. It has invited officials from the state government to Boston and Pittsburgh for a reverse trade mission on Smart Cities.

“The US mission to India is committed to Uttar Pradesh, as is evident in our support of the Smart Cities program in Allahabad. It will continue to do so,” Ariel Pollock, US Embassy’s north India head, said in the statement.

Alongside these meetings, a session was chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajive Kumar on investment opportunities in Uttar Pradesh, and Anup Pandey, the Industrial Development Commissioner, and Alok Sinha, Principal Secretary for industries and infrastructure, made presentations on the state’s new industrial policy.