Become more Indian: Minister's advice to Swedish firms operating in India

Visiting Swedish minister for business, industry and innovation Ibrahim Baylan on Wednesday urged companies from his nation operating here to become more Indian by increasing their for exports.

There are over 200 Swedish companies operating in the county and about 55 of them are into manufacturing. Collectively Swedish companies employ over 2 lakh directly and 20 lakh indirectly.

"Swedish companies have been present in Maharashtra since the past 60 years. In Pune, I have seen a cluster of Swedish companies including Ericsson and Sandvik. And I want these companies not only to develop further but also become more Indian," Baylan said at an event here.

He advised them to take advantage of the local manufacturing policy that the government is pushing to not only cater to domestic market but also to become exporters.

The minister also invited Indian companies to set up shops in Sweden as there is a lot for both the nations to learn from each other.

During his visit, Baylan also met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.