Maharashtra to UP, states draw battle lines to woo investors in Davos

From rebranding and marathon meetings by chief ministers (CMs) and other ministers to lining up media campaigns, six Indian states — Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Kerala — are competing fiercely to catch investor attention at the snow-laden Alpine town of Davos in Switzerland, as part of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), scheduled from January 20-24.

 

Not only that, CMs like Devendra Fadnavis, Chandrababu Naidu, and Revanth Reddy are also expected to hard-sell their states at the grand venue. As part of WEF, there are two India pavilions: one for the central government and another for the delegation of six states, which will occupy different floors of the second pavilion. Other leaders include Nara Lokesh and T G Bharath from Andhra Pradesh, T R B Rajaa from Tamil Nadu, Suresh Kumar Khanna from Uttar Pradesh, and P Rajeev from Kerala. Maharashtra and Telangana have set targets for signing memoranda of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 7 trillion and Rs 1 trillion, respectively.

 

According to a source, Andhra Pradesh is sending the largest delegation, comprising 20 people, to the event, spending around Rs 15 crore for its pavilion with the theme Sunrise State Andhra Pradesh. The CM himself is expected to hold 19 meetings, including two with heads of state in two days. This is in addition to 50 bilateral meetings to be conducted by Andhra Pradesh Information Technology (IT) Minister Nara Lokesh. The state’s focus areas will include IT, petrochemical, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical, among others.

 

On the other hand, the Tamil Nadu team will kick off a global campaign for Brand Tamil Nadu —#BullishOnTN. In the four-day event, the Tamil Nadu team has already lined up 50 meetings with potential partners and aims to deepen conversations with global leadership.

 

“Our commitment to policy continuity, sustained over several years, ensures that when we sign MoUs, we see them through by providing streamlined approvals and creating the ideal ecosystem for industries to thrive,” said Tamil Nadu Industries Secretary Arun Roy.

 

Telangana will focus on the ‘Telangana Rising 2050’ initiative. "As part of this vision, Telangana will be divided into three distinct clusters. This approach will ensure balanced development throughout the state, moving beyond just the growth of Hyderabad,” said Special Chief Secretary of Industries and Commerce and IT Departments of the Telangana government Jayesh Ranjan.

 

A team of six members will be travelling from Kerala, with a focus on sectors such as IT.