annual report1-final.qxd - Overseas Indian

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Plenary Session 4 its in their Indian operations while 84 percent of the foreign companies had plans for expansion of their Indian operations. He stated that, today, States had become key players in economic reforms through there were some growth disparities among Indian States. Therefore, state-level reforms held the key to a higher and sustainable growth trajectory and there was a need for benchmark performance against high growth states. Dr. Mitra asserted that for States, reforms in infrastructure, labour markets and governance were the key to success while fiscal solvency was equally crucial After Dr. Mitra’s presentation, Ahluwalia invited all Chief Ministers and state delegation heads for their presentations. Dr. Y.S.R. Reddy, Chief Minster, Andhra Pradesh started saying that the whole world was looking at India as a great opportunity for investments. ‘India Everywhere’ was the key theme at Davos, where the World Economic Forum was meeting towards the end of January, 2006. The Indian economy was on a very strong footing, he said, stating that the fundamentals were very strong. Andhra Pradesh was the miniature version of India. “We are the largest south Indian State both in terms of population and area,” he said. He further outlined the profile of the State, which was rich in infrastructure and human resource. He mentioned that Andhra Pradesh was the leading agrarian State and offered a great opportunity for setting up of food and agro processing units. Other industries that could be set up in the State were automobile industries, electronic hardware, sugar, and leather. The State Government had announced a new Industrial Investment Policy for the period 2005- 2010. Similarly the Government had also announced the IT Investment Policy and Food Processing Policy (2005-2010), he said. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, at the outset, said that his mandate was to take Bihar on the road of development and assured the gathering that things should surely change in Bihar for the good of the State as well as the investor. The State’s potential would be fully tapped and for all this, he sought the overseas Indian support and participation. While talking of investment possibilities, he outlined that there was a great potential for investments in urban infrastructure, integrated city development and urban transport systems. He reiterated that Bihar was changing, and requested overseas Indians to join the process of change. He quoted President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: “If India is to succeed, Bihar must prosper.” Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi talked about a “vibrant Gujarat” in which the focus was why Gujarat was the ‘numero uno’ State in India. He highlighted many aspects — from industry and economic freedom to energy — in which Gujarat was number one in this country. He highlighted that Gujarat was not in competition with Indian States. Rather, he said Gujarat wished to compete with countries like Japan and China. He further talked about Gujarat’s assistance to Afghanistan in its rebuilding programme and also to Iran after the recent earthquake there. He talked about the tribal development programme, which was called Gujarat Pattern. Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, in his speech, projected the profile of the State and how J&K was progressing mainly through tourism-related industries. He said that flow of tourists was increasing year by year and around 21,000 foreign visitors came to the Ladakh region last year. Jammu & Kashmir would be known like Switzerland in coming years, he said, adding that there were opportunities in tourism and horticulture for foreign investors. He invited them to become partners in the progress and development of J&K. Vilash Rao Deshmukh, Chief Minister, Maharastra, spoke about the commercial capital of India, Mumbai, and how it was integral to any kind of investment. He also asked investors to make a wise decision as all States were presented on a single platform. He suggested that investors could judge States on the basis of fiscal environment, investment policies, infrastructure and human resource. He further asked FICCI to conduct a study to see how much of investment had come to India in the last four years and how much had been contributed by the investor due to this particular 16
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Pravasi Bharatiya Divas environment. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, in his presentation, highlighted the problems faced by NRIs in the Gulf region and the steps taken by his State. He further recollected the policies of the Kerala Government in favour of overseas Indians and how it had helped them in developing an international airport. Now, they planned to have an airline for the benefit of Keralites. He also mentioned that GoI should have a provision for single window clearance for investors at the national level and their voices should be heard. He praised GoI for issuing the OCI card and other initiatives taken in favour of skilled and unskilled labour. Concluding, he mentioned that Kerala was on the path of progress and had the required atmosphere for prospective investors. P.G.R. Scindhia, Industry & Finance Minster, Karnataka, in his speech, mentioned that Karnataka might not be like Gujarat in FDI but “it is one State that has made us proud because of its knowledge”. He stated that, in a few years, cities like Belgaum, Mangalore and Mysore would be on the world map in fields like information technology, biotechnology and higher education. He said that the State was working for better infrastructure and would soon have an international airport in Bangalore as well as in Mangalore. His presentation focused on Karnataka as a destination for information technology and biotechnology investors. At the end, he reiterated that the State had good fiscal management. Policies were in place and there were abundant human resources, he said. Narpat Singh, Minister for Industries, Labour & Employment, Rajasthan, in his presentation, mentioned that Rajasthan was one of the most peaceful states and there was no case of industrial dispute. He further elaborated on how Rajasthan had developed its infrastructure and Special Industrial Zones in cities like Jodhpur for investors. He said that Rajasthan was the leader in exports due to its right policies and infrastructure like roads. The State had also targeted the emerging youth and opened several technical and non-technical institutions to impart quality education. He said that Rajasthan had the right mix of friendly infrastructure and educated labour. D. Jayakumar, Minister for Law and IT, Tamil Nadu, asserted that there were abundant skilled professionals in his State because of the existence of 252 engineering colleges, 220 polytechnics and 600-plus industrial training schools. Chennai was ranked 138th among 145 cities in terms of cost of living. He explained the scope for investment in tourism, adventure and sports and emphasised the significance of ports and human resources in the State. He mentioned that the Business World magazine had recognised Tamil Nadu as a new destination as many companies had opened their offices in Chennai and other cities. West Bengal Chief Secretary A.K. Deb, in his address, highlighted the greatly improved climate of trade, commerce, industry, and investment in the State. He pointed out that, in recent times, several ambitious private sector initiatives including the Dhirubhai Ambani Medical College and Hospital and various other new projects were coming up. Many information technology firms had also made West Bengal their home, he said. He mentioned that a host of private engineering colleges had come up, indicating a welcome approach to trade 17
Page 1: Pravasi Bharatiya DIVAS PROCEEDINGS
Page 4 and 5: Introduction India is a vibrant nat
Page 6 and 7: Inaugural Session KATHRADA stated t
Page 8 and 9: Plenary Session 1 S.Krishna Kumar,
Page 10 and 11: Plenary Session 1 must consider the
Page 12 and 13: Plenary Session 2 would be addresse
Page 14 and 15: Plenary Session 2 continued in the
Page 16 and 17: Plenary Session 3 Internet technolo
Page 20 and 21: Parallel Sessions with States A del
Page 22 and 23: Parallel Sessions with States tion
Page 24 and 25: Parallel Sessions with States manuf
Page 26 and 27: Parallel Sessions with States said,
Page 28 and 29: Parallel Sessions with States Refor
Page 30 and 31: Parallel Sessions with States secto
Page 32 and 33: Plenary Session 5 networks, he said
Page 34 and 35: Parallel Sessions Panelists at the
Page 36 and 37: Parallel Sessions region. A major i
Page 38 and 39: Parallel Sessions Intern, 4th IDYP
Page 40 and 41: Parallel Sessions incrementally ove
Page 42 and 43: Parallel Sessions old age home shou
Page 44 and 45: Panel Discussions Panelists at the
Page 46 and 47: Panel Discussions Government in mak
Page 48 and 49: Plenary Session 7 Vijay Mahajan, Ch
Page 50 and 51: Roundtable 2 regulatory framework.
Page 52 and 53: Valedictory President A.P.J. Abdul
Page 54 and 55: Annexure1: Programme Schedule 0930-
Page 56 and 57: Annexure1: Programme Schedule Mr. G
Page 58 and 59: Annexure 3: List of Speakers 1. DR.
Page 60 and 61: Annexure 3: List of Speakers Fax: 1
Page 62 and 63: Annexure 3: List of Speakers 75. B.
Page 64 and 65: Press Coverage 64
Page 68:
GLOBALLY INDIAN PRAVASI BHARATIYA D
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