French firms aim at more in India

French companies would create more jobs in India in sectors such as manufacturing, information technology (IT), the industrial internet of things (IoT) and smart city projects, says France's largest employer federation, Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF).

The body says it had discussion with both Indian and French companies, representatives from the Union government and business chambers Ficci and CII, to evaluate prospective sectors for growth. An MEDEF delegation had meetings in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

French president Emmanuel Macron makes an official visit to India later this year. About 450 French companies in manufacturing, defence, space, nuclear energy, smart cities and IT services employ 350,000 in India.

"France and India have held strong trade ties for more than two decades. During this visit, we have held many discussions with the private sector and with our Indian counterparts in the government and industry, to source viable opportunities for both our nations," said Pierre Gattaz, president of MEDEF. "Manufacturing will be a very important sector (for jobs) and Make in India is an interesting initiative, and there will be always jobs for the services sector."

The French federation said it would try to create a system for stronger bilateral trade.

Highlighting the prospects in smart city projects, Gerard Wolf, chairman of the Sustainable Cities Task Force at MEDEF, suggested Indian cities primarily focus on better housing, cleanliness and mass transportation.