Lucknow: German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence here on Monday and held discussions on industrial investment in the state.
They talked about the strong economic ties between India and Germany.
Welcoming the German Ambassador in UP, the CM said with a trade history of more than 500 years, India and Germany are bound by a common history of economic cooperation. “Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the bilateral relations between the two countries are scaling new heights,” he said.
Yogi said UP with a population of 24 crore contributes 8 per cent to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
“UP is India’s fourth-largest state area wise and one of the country’s fastest-growing economies,” the Chief Minister said.
He said that full attention is being paid to the needs and expectations of the investors in UP. “Better law and order, adequate and uninterrupted power supply and the availability of a vast land bank in the state are encouraging for industries,” Yogi said.
The Chief Minister said, “Our industry-friendly policies have changed the business-industrial environment of the state. As many as 25 sectoral policies have been prepared according to the needs of the industry and a single window system has been launched to ease procedures for investors.
The state government is ready to provide all the necessary resources to the entrepreneurs for industrial development as per the vision of the PM.”
Yogi said that all necessary infrastructure is available in UP for industrial development.
“UP is becoming an ‘expressway state’ today. Soon, the state will have 5 International airports. The first inland waterway from Haldia to Varanasi is in UP only. The Defence Industrial Corridor is being developed here. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor pass through UP. Multimodal logistic and transport hubs are being set up in the state at Dadri and Boraki. German companies will have a favourable environment here,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government is setting up a grand Film City near Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar where the Medical Device Park and Fin-Tech City are also being developed. “There are limitless possibilities for investors here,” he said.
Yogi said the state has got the largest Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) base in the country and there are immense possibilities of employment in this field. “Germany’s technology and innovative policies can be extremely useful for their development. We expect cooperation in this direction,” he said.
The CM said the Defence Industrial Corridor being established in UP is full of investment opportunities for Germany. “We have vast land, and enough human resources. We are providing all necessary resources to the investor companies interested in defence production. This is a good platform for Germany.
The UP Defence Industrial Corridor should be considered for investment,” he said.
Yogi said the state government is organising the Global Investors Summit in state capital Lucknow from February 10 to 12. “At the summit, the government will showcase the immense business opportunities in UP and provide an excellent platform for the global business community to partner with the state in India’s journey of progress,” he said.
He said through this Flagship Investors Summit, “We aspire to make UP more attractive to investors and create opportunities for the integrated development of the state.”
During the meeting, Philipp Ackermann said Germany and India share strong economic ties. “We are working together in many areas such as scientific and social exchange, climate, environment, sustainable development and energy,” he said.
The Ambassador said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India now plays an important role in international forums. “Big changes have been seen in UP in the last six years. Law and order has improved significantly.
Work in the area of infrastructure development has been unprecedented. All efforts are being made to modernise the transport system including airport, expressway, water ways and metro,” he said.
He said UP has played a major role in environmental protection and improving the eco-system through efforts like mass plantation, ban on single-use polythene and revival of rivers. “Germany appreciates these efforts,” Ackermann said.
Speaking about expanding bilateral relations in various fields, Ambassador Phillip stated that Germany is willing to work with the proposed metro light projects in UP. “Germany will ensure the availability of its technical experts in this important transport project,” he said.
Appreciating the educational scenario of the state, the Ambassador said that currently German institutes along with IIT Kanpur and MMMUT Gorakhpur are collaborating in research, development and training.
“Indo-German Scientific Council plans to work with other universities of UP. Good results will be seen in the near future,” he said.
Philipp Ackermann said Germany is UP’s partner in several fields. “Many industrial groups from Germany are interested in coming to UP for the Global Investors Summit in February. This summit will further strengthen the mutual relations between the two countries,” he added.
