New York: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has invited American companies to invest across key sectors in the state as his government focuses on diversifying from core industries such as mineral and steel to strategically important areas like agro and food processing, IT and defence.
Baghel, currently on a multi-city visit to the US, highlighted his state’s investor-friendly and ease of doing business policies as he met representatives of various sectors and members of diaspora from the state inviting them to visit and invest in Chhattisgarh.
”We are a mineral rich state and have several mineral based-industries. We invite companies and investors from America to come and explore core sectors” as well those sectors and regions where there is untapped potential, Baghel told PTI in an interview.
Baghel, accompanied by a high-level official delegation, had over the weekend addressed students at the India Conference at Harvard.
He addressed a business lunch Tuesday organized by the Consulate General of India in New York and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).
Baghel said over the next few years his government will focus on strengthening the purchasing power of people in his state.
The state government is also committed to poverty eradication and diversifying from core sectors such as minerals, steel, power to sectors of strategic importance such as agro and food processing, IT, bio ethanol, electronics, textile and apparel, engineering and defense, higher education, pharma and automobile and electric vehicles.
”My target is to see how to increase the purchasing power of the people. No matter how many industries we set up, if people do not have money to buy the products, then what is the benefit of the industries,” he said.
Baghel said that in order to maintain this balance, it is very important to increase the purchasing power, which will in turn benefit businesses and industries.
He underlined that the state government will work towards strengthening the purchasing power of the people, which will ensure demand and then the wheels of the industry will start turning and production will take off.
The state government is looking at making the citizens economically self-sufficient, create demand and let the industry move in to fulfill that demand. He noted that Chattisgarh is rich in natural resources such as dense forest cover, water and mineral resources yet poverty is still prevalent in some areas.
”Poverty eradication is most important. Sectors such as health, education and agro-based industries will help generate new job opportunities as well as increase people’s income,” he said.
The state, which has a strong presence of several core sectors industries, is focussed on diversifying from the core areas to non-core areas.