Dehradun: The Chief Minister Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat joined the roadshow organized at Ahmedabad on Thursday. Speaking at the Roadshow, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat said, “We are excited to have the Gujarati business community on board for ‘Destination Uttarakhand Summit 2018’. The young state has a plethora of investment opportunities for the Gujarati business community particularly in the sectors of Food Processing, automobiles, textiles & manufacturing. We aim to provide investors with a platform to understand the state’s potential and the ease of doing business in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is a resource rich state, offering the Gujarati investor’s community the opportunity to diversify their businesses in the northern state.”
The Government of Uttarakhand organized a Roadshow in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in the build up to the ‘Destination Uttarakhand: Investors Summit’ scheduled from October 7-8, 2018. The state’s first ever investor summit will be organized at Dehradun and will be inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
Some of the senior officials of Government of Uttarakhand also addressed the gathering at Ahmedabad included Mr. Utpal Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, Ms. Manisha Panwar, Principal Secretary, Industries, Mr. D Senthil Pandian, Secretary, Food Processing, Dr. R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Cooperative, Ms. Sowjanya, Director General/ Commissioner Industries, Mr. KS Panwar, Industrial Advisor to Chief Minister and Dr. Narendra Sigh Tomar, Technical Advisor to Chief Minister. In addition to the Government of Uttarakhand officials, various corporate leaders and experts that graced the occasion include Mr R S Sodhi, Managing Director, Amul India; Mr Gautam Adani, Chairman, Adani Group; Mr Jaimin Shah, Chairman, NASSCOM Domestic Market Council; Mr. Ankit Vyas, CEO, Oizom Instruments Pvt Ltd; Mr. Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Rasna Pvt Ltd; Mr. Kailash Bahuhguna, CEO, Zydus Infrastructure; Mr. Shanay Shah, Director, Shalby Ltd; Mr. Joachim Rocha, Trade Commissioner, The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service; Mr Sandeep Agarwal, Head & Director, Gujarat Ambuja Exports Ltd; Mr Rajendra Shah, MD, Harsha Engineers Ltd; Mr Parag Desai, Executive Director, Gujarat Tea Processors & Packers Ltd and Mr. Aditya Panda, Senior Manager, Coca Cola India Pvt Ltd among others.
The key objective of the roadshow was to share the investment opportunities in Uttarakhand and to seek active participation for ‘Destination Uttarakhand-Investors Summit 2018’. The roadshow received encouraging response and generated huge interest among the Gujarati business community. The delegation from Uttarakhand Government, highlighted the 12 focus sectors of the state, which include Food Processing, Horticulture & Floriculture, Herbal & Aromatic, Tourism & Hospitality, Wellness & AYUSH, Pharmaceuticals, Automobiles, Natural Fibers, IT, Renewable Energy, Biotechnology and Film Shooting.
Addressing the industry leaders at the roadshow, Ms. Manisha Panwar, Principal Secretary, Industries said, “It gives us immense pleasure to welcome the Gujarati business community into our state. With Destination Uttarakhand- Investors Summit 2018, our focus is to promote private sector investment especially for the 12 focus sectors. Our aim is to facilitate and handhold the investors including getting land and giving approvals in a time bound, transparent manner, making it easy for Gujarat’s business community to invest in Uttarakhand.”
Mr. D Senthil Pandian, Secretary, Food Processing, Government of Uttarakhand said, “Nestled in the foothills of Himalayas, the State is blessed with diverse agro climatic conditions from sub-tropical to temperate to alpine, where farming is mostly carried out organically. The State offers a number of Government policies, schemes and incentives to support food processing environment in Uttarakhand. It also has robust infrastructure including 2 mega food parks, 4 industrial Clusters and 60 Farmer Producer Organisations (including NABARD promoted FPOs)”. The various investment opportunities highlighted included establishing units for Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) Fruits and Vegetables at Udham Singh Nagar & Haridwar and specialised snacks and baby food manufacturing units from Nutri cereals among others.
In order to attract investment into the various sectors of the state and thus contribute to the development of the economy as a whole, the Government of Uttarakhand has taken several policy initiatives. In addition to the State MSME Policy 2015 and Mega Industrial & Investment Policy 2015, dedicated sector policies have been drafted to boost the industrial climate and act as a facilitator of business. The online Single Window Clearance System facilitates speedy clearances as well as provides relevant information.
Uttarakhand offers a geographical advantage to budding entrepreneurs of Gujarat. The state`s industry can cater to the important consumer market of the National Capital region due to its physical proximity and seamless connectivity. Important industrial areas of the state lie in the influence region of Amritsar Kolkata industrial corridor which will open up new opportunities. It also has a well-established industrial base of long-standing and reputed business houses, with a large number of ancillary units in Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, etc. Major players have set up their units in Uttarakhand due to congenial business environment with their state-of-the-art operating practices being fed into the local production environment.
About Destination Uttarakhand: Investors Summit 2018:
The Government of Uttarakhand is organizing ‘Uttarakhand Investors Summit 2018’ on October 7-8 2018 in coordination with all departments related to the 12 focus sectors identified by the state. The Investment Promotion and Facilitation Centre in the Directorate of Industries is working as the secretariat for the event. It will be a mega event, gathering investors, manufacturers, producers, policymakers, and organizations from the global business ecosystem. The summit would principally focus on 12 focus sectors, which include Food Processing, Horticulture & Floriculture, Herbal & Aromatic, Tourism & Hospitality, Wellness & AYUSH, Pharmaceuticals, Automobiles, Natural Fibres, IT, Renewable Energy, Biotechnology and Film Shooting, for expediting industrial development in the state. It will provide opportunities for investment and trade in these sectors for both domestic and international investors.
