Over 50 industry captains attend 'Invest UP' conclave

Uttar Pradesh today organised an investors’ conclave in Mumbai, ‘Invest UP’, to promote ‘Brand UP’ before top industrialists and business houses of the country.

Some of the leading lights in the Indian corporate galaxy, including Videocon, Mahindra, Modi, Essar, Indiabulls, Tata and Jaypee group, participated in the meet.

The successful conduct of meet is a big morale booster for the government, since a similar attempt in July 2008 never took off as it was cancelled at the last moment. This had put a big question mark over the industrial climate in UP.

Although, Chief Minister Mayawati did not attend the conclave, her senior brass of officials, including cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh, chief secretary Atul Kumar Gupta, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) Anoop Mishra and principal secretary, industrial development, V N Garg played host.

“The meet was very successful and about 55 industry captains were present. It will serve as an encouraging milestone for us and we will see how to take the process forward for securing private investment,” Garg told Business Standard over telephone from Mumbai.

An audio-visual presentation was followed by round table discussion to sell the industrial proposition by UP and garner suggestions from the participants for creating a conducive atmosphere for industrialisation.

The government had not fixed any “quantified targets” for the meet, which was aimed as a platform to apprise the industry about the recent industrial policies and initiatives.

Several sectors, such as infrastructure, power and higher education, were played up at the meet for attracting investors.

The state government will now brainstorm over the suggestions put forth by the industry at the forum and whether some policy changes were required. “We will also decide if more such conclaves need to be organised in future,” Garg added.