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At a time when tensions between India and China continue to cast a shadow on businesses including imports of crucial drug ingredients from China, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani invited US companies to invest and conduct tie-ups with Gujarat-based pharma companies for raw material production.
The CM also emphasised on Gujarat's eagerness for collaboration in the sectors such as life sciences, defence sector, petrochemicals and clean energy, besides warehousing and logistics; and pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors.
In a special address at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF)’s Leadership Summit, Rupani said, "Gujarat presents great opportunities to US companies and is also developing robust infrastructure facilities for the pharmaceutical sector in the form of a Bulk Drug Park in Bharuch, and a Medical Devices Park in Rajkot district."
At the special public session hosted by USISPF at the week-long virtual summit, he called upon US companies to join hands with the Indian companies to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in India.
The special public session was hosted by the USISPF to focus on the investment opportunities in Gujarat. Rupani was the only Chief Minister of a state from India to be invited to address the Third Annual USISPF leadership forum.
Besides seeking to improve market access to the artisans in tribal areas through digital education, Rupani also expressed the willingness of the government to partner with companies like Cisco in the next wave of digital transformation especially in the fields of cyber technology and governance.
"India and the US have evolved as strategic partners. The partnership is people-driven and people-centric. We share common values of democracy with strong cultural ties and objective for human prosperity," the Chief Minister stated.
Rupani also highlighted the newly released new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020, which provides several provisions such as relocation benefits for companies moving out from other countries, besides investor-friendly measures such as delinking incentives from the GST regime and land on a long-term lease.
The Gujarat government will appoint a senior nodal officer from the Chief Minister's office to facilitate American companies to partner with the State.
Besides the conventional manufacturing sectors, Rupani showcased the opportunities for a startup engagement program between US and Gujarat in the diverse and emerging areas of semiconductors, electronics and e-vehicles.
Amid the challenges posed by the pandemic, Gujarat has shown strong recovery from the economic impact of the Covid-19-induced lockdown. "I am happy to share that on 29 August 2020; our power consumption was 5% more than that consumed last year at the same time. This clearly shows that the economy has bounced-back and is steadily getting back on growth curve," Rupani added.
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