Gujarat has immense opportunities for US companies, nodal officer soon: CM Rupani tell USISPF Summit

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani called upon US companies to join hands with the Indian companies to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in India, in a special address at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)’s Leadership Summit.

While addressing a special public session hosted by USISPF at the week-long virtual summit, the Chief Minister said that Gujarat presents great opportunities to US companies and is also developing a robust infrastructure facilities for pharmaceutical sector in the form of a Bulk Drug Park in Bharuch and a Medical Devices Park in Rajkot district.

Mr. Rupani also invited US companies to partner with Gujarat to improve market access to the artisans in tribal areas through digital education. He also invited companies like Cisco to partner with the government in the next wave of digital transformation especially in the fields of cyber technology and governance.

Mr. Rupani in his address affirmed the significance of a dynamic India-US relationship. He said; “India and the US have evolved as strategic partners. The partnership is people-driven and people-centric. We share common values of democracy with strong cultural ties and objective for human prosperity”.

The special public session was hosted by the USISPF to focus on the investment opportunities in Gujarat. Gujarat’s Chief Minister Mr. Vijay Rupani is the only Chief Minister of a state in India to be invited to address the Third Annual USISPF leadership forum.

Elaborating about the investment opportunities in Gujarat, Mr. Rupani mentioned that the state recently released the new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 with several provisions such as relocation benefits for companies moving out from other countries, besides investor-friendly measures such as delinking incentives from the GST regime and land on a long-term lease.

To promote a vibrant startup ecosystem, CM proposed for a formalized startup engagement program between US and Gujarat in areas diverse areas such as semiconductors, electronics and e-vehicles. He also announced that the state government will appoint a senior nodal officer from the Chief Minister’s office to facilitate American companies to partner with Gujarat.

With Gujarat meeting the challenges posed by the pandemic with remarkable ease, he said: “I am happy to share that on 29 August 2020; our power consumption was 5% more than that consumed last year at the same time. This clearly shows that the economy has re-bounced & is steadily back on growth curve,” he said.

The CM also emphasised that Gujarat is open for collaboration in life sciences, defence sector, petrochemicals and clean energy, besides warehousing and logistics; and pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors.

Gujarat’s 1600 km long coastline is a gateway for maritime trade to countries around the world, including the Middle East.40% of India’s exports are from Gujarat ports.

Highlighting the strong relationship Gujarat shares with the United States, he said that US President Donald Trump’s Gujarat visit in February this year was a significant step. Gujarat had played a major role in the supply of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to the US, he said that the gesture signified that “we are one and borders don’t exist between us.”

USISPF Chairman, Mr. John Chambers, Chairman Emeritus of Cisco, Founder & CEO, JC2 Ventures; had led one of the largest industry delegations to the Vibrant Gujarat summit in 2019 welcomed the CM in the Session.

The Session also had a one on one interactive session moderated by Chairman & Managing Director ofReNew Power Mr. Sumant Sinha. During this interactive session, CM answered the questions of the attendees.