A high powered government and business delegation from the Indian state of Gujarat, led by Mr. D J Pandian, Principal Secretary, Department of Energy and Petrochemicals, Government of Gujarat, today met with the American business community in New York during an roadshow organized jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the US India Business Council. The principle message that the delegation sought to deliver is that even in a turbulent global economic scenario, and with domestic slowdown in India, Gujarat continues to grow and remains an investor friendly state.
The delegation of 18 industry leaders, representing sectors like financial services, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, clean energy etc are accompanying Mr. Pandian and other officials of the Government of Gujarat for a 10 day visit to the United States and Canada. In his remarks, Mr. Pandian spoke of the tremendous strides made by Gujarat in becoming an attractive investment destination, with world class infrastructure, skilled labor force, and a stable and transparent bureaucratic, judicial and legal system. Mr. Pandian invited investors and industry representatives in New York to attend the Vibrant Gujarat 'investment festival' scheduled for
11-13 January 2013.
Mr. Pandian pointed out that although India is an extremely pluralistic and diverse society, ultimately democracy stands firm at the end of the day.
The resilience of its people, who are guided by liberty, freedom, peace and prosperity is truly India's greatest asset. Mr. Pandian particularly attributed the singular success of Gujarat in attracting and retaining businesses from all over the world to a combination of political will and administrative skill.
Mr. Pandian also highlighted the quest of the Government of Gujarat to undertake sustainable development, especially through environmentally friendly development policies and a renewed focus on clean energy.
Clean energy technologies, waste management etc were stressed as areas where US companies have expertise and could be potential areas of investment and collaboration in Gujarat.
Mr. Pandian also expressed belief that some of the controversial policies enacted by the central government would undergo changes in the near future. Also, he emphasized that if the central government asked the states whether they would be open to multi-brand retail, the state of Gujarat would respond very positively.
Mr. Bal Das, Executive Advisor, Aquiline Capital Partners LLC also spoke at the occasion about the remarkable growth story of Gujarat, and referred to the state as the growth engine of India.
New York City