Uttar Pradesh keen to attract Japanese firms: Minister

Lucknow, May 7 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh is keen to attract Japanese firms looking to move out of China, for which the state government is undertaking various labour and sectoral reforms, a senior minister said on Thursday.        

"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has a strong desire that more and more investments should come to the state so that people get additional employment opportunities," the state's MSME and Export Promotion Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.          

Singh was interacting with Japanese Ambassador to India Satoshi Suzuki through video-conferencing.        

During the interaction, Suzuki evinced interest in sectors like electronics, food processing, industrial parks, pharmaceutical, medical equipment and automobiles.          

Singh said a Japanese helpdesk will be set up in the state to assist entrepreneurs from that country.        

He said Uttar Pradesh has a vast land bank and rich in skilled human resources.        

Suzuki said the Japanese government has created a USD 2.2 billion fund to help companies migrating from China.        

Accepting the coronavirus pandemic as not just a challenge but also a big opportunity for the economy, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to offer a special package to investors "disenchanted" with China and eager to shift base to other countries, a senior official said.          

"Many companies appear to be disenchanted with China. If a company or investor wants to invest in the state, the government will give them a special package and facility," the official said.        

The chief minister has asked officials to work out the package which would be offered to investors in addition to the existing incentives.          

The chief minister recently directed his ministers and senior officials to discuss the matter with the embassies of different countries. He asked his ministers to make all-out efforts to take advantage of this opportunity.          

The outbreak of coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has dealt a major blow to the global economy because of lockdowns

imposed to curb its spread. PTI SMI ABM

ABM