Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is on a tour of the UK this week to pitch his state – dubbed Dev Bhoomi (Land of Gods) – as not only an attractive tourism hub but also an investment destination.
As one of India’s younger states, carved out of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand prides itself as one of the country’s fast-growing states. The Chief Minister made an outreach to the diaspora with their roots in this northern Indian region as he arrived with a delegation to hold roadshows in London and Birmingham.
“I am heartened by the grand welcome with Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari folk songs extended to me by non-resident Indians from Uttarakhand. I appealed to them to visit their state at least once a year and also got the chance to update them on the opportunities of religious tourism that Uttarakhand offers, besides its immense progress across the fields of health, education and employment,” said Dhami.
With Destination Uttarakhand: Global Investors Summit to be held in the state capital of Dehradun in December and to be addressed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the delegation made a strong case to UK-based investors and entrepreneurs of the many advantages in store in the region. The CM also clinched memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with a number of construction firms during interactions with business chiefs and industry experts.
Some of the key attractions of Uttarakhand highlighted for foreign investors include:
Double digit employment growth in the last two decades
Geographical proximity to capital New Delhi
Abundant natural resources
High performing industrial parks
10 per cent of India’s auto component production
Top pharmaceutical manufacturing state
During events backed by the High Commission of India in London, Dhami shared: “Our aim is to position the state of Uttarakhand as the fastest growing economy in India while maintaining its unique natural and cultural heritage.
“Our state has been successful in creating a unique identity for itself in India in the field of technology and innovation. Britain is a world power in this field, hence your experience is very important to us.
“You are also a leader in the field of healthcare and life sciences; our state is one of the areas developed as a pharma hub of India. There are three pharma clusters in the state, in which more than 300 industries are functioning. You can work with us in this field also.”
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