German Ambassador Meets UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Discusses Investment Opportunities In The State

Lucknow, Jan 23 (PTI) German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence here on Monday and discussed various investment opportunities in the state.

Welcoming the ambassador, the chief minister said that with a trade history of more than 500 years, India and Germany are bound by a common history of economic cooperation.

Under the guidance of the prime minister, the bilateral relations between the two countries are scaling new heights, Adityanath said, according to an official statement.

During the talks, Ambassador Ackermann said Germany and India share strong economic ties.

'We are working together in many areas such as scientific and social exchange, climate, environment, sustainable development and energy,' he said.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India now plays an important role in international forums.

'Big changes have been seen in Uttar Pradesh in the last six years. Law and order has improved significantly. Work in the area of infrastructure development has been unprecedented. All efforts are being made to modernise the transport system including airport, expressway, waterway and metro,' the statement said quoting the ambassador.

The ambassador said that Uttar Pradesh has played a major role in environmental protection and improving the ecosystem through efforts such as mass plantation, ban on single-use polythene and revival of rivers. Germany appreciates these efforts.

Speaking about expanding bilateral relations in various fields, the ambassador stated that Germany is willing to work with the proposed metro light projects in UP.

'Germany will ensure the availability of its technical experts in this important transport project,' he said.

Appreciating the educational scenario of Uttar Pradesh, the ambassador said that currently, German institutes are collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and the Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT) Gorakhpur in research, development and training.

'Indo-German Scientific Council plans to work with other universities of UP. Good results will be seen in the near future,' he said.

'Germany is UP's partner in several fields. Many industrial groups from Germany are interested in coming to the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit in February. This summit will further strengthen the mutual relations between the two countries,' he said.

The chief minister said with a population of more than 24 crore, Uttar Pradesh contributes eight per cent to the total GDP of the country and added that the state is India's fourth-largest area wise and one of the country's fastest-growing economies.

'Full attention is being paid to the needs/expectations of the investors in UP. Better law and order, adequate and uninterrupted power supply, and the availability of a vast land bank in the state are encouraging for industries. Our industry-friendly policies have changed the business-industrial environment of the state,' he said.

As many as 25 sectoral policies have been prepared according to the needs of the industry and a single window system has been launched to ease procedures for investors, the chief minister said.

He said Uttar Pradesh is becoming an 'expressway state' and has five international airports, and the first inland waterway from Haldia to Varanasi in the state.

'The Defence Industrial Corridor is being developed here. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor pass through UP. Multimodal logistic/transport hubs are being set up in the state at Dadri and Boraki. German companies will have a favourable environment here,' he said.

'The government is setting up a grand Film City near Jewar International Airport in Gautam Buddha Nagar where the Medical Device Park and Fin-Tech City are also being developed. There are limitless possibilities for investors here,' he added.

He said that the state has got the largest MSME base in the country and there are immense possibilities of employment in this field.

'Germany's technology and innovative policies can be extremely useful for their development. We expect cooperation in this direction,' he added.

The chief minister said the Defence Industrial Corridor being established in Uttar Pradesh is full of investment opportunities for Germany.

'We have vast land and enough human resources. We are providing all necessary resources to the investor companies interested in defence production. This is a good platform for Germany,' he said.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without any modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)