Andhra plans separate cell for Japanese investors

Andhra Pradesh plans to set up a separate cell for online clearance of investment proposals from Japanese firms.

On the second day of his visit to Japan, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu told the investors that his government is considering a "Japan-plus cell" on the lines of one set up by the central government.

Addressing a meeting at the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Naidu said the cell in his office will be a single-desk clearance for faster approval.

At the Indian IT Forum, the chief minister said he wants to replicate Tokyo and Kyoto models of development.

He assured them that his state has a massive land bank and can provide uninterrupted and quality power to industries.

Elaborating the advantages Andhra offers for Japanese firms, he said that the state is poised to become the gateway of Southeast Asia and Asia because of its 1,000 km-long coastline.

"We can send manufactured goods to countries like Malaysia. Singapore, China, etc. We also aim to become logistics hub by developing 14 ports," an official statement here quoted him as saying.

Pointing out that the state has a strong agriculture base, he invited Japanese firms to explore opportunities in the agri processing industry.

Naidu said that the state wants to have a strong infrastructure base. "We have good road network and are planning bullet trains."

Earlier, Naidu met Takeshi Uenoyama, Fellow at Panasonic Corporation, who told him the firm will explore business opportunities in Andhra Pradesh.

"We are looking forward for an invitation from you. We will also explore collaboration in skill development," said Uenoyama.

Stating that Panasonic is a household name in India, the chief minister invited it to explore opportunities in Visakhapatnam.

Masahi Hashimoto, chairman of International Business Committee of Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Japanese companies are interested in India and there should be good amount of information and clarification for them to do business in India.

India's Ambassador to Japan, Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa India and Japan are in a strategic relationship, not only politically but also economically. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Japan underlines how important Japan is to India, she said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had announced that there will be 35 trillion Japanese Yen investment from both public and private sector in India, she said.

Wadhwa described Modi and Naidu as the faces of economic reforms.