I was in India over the past few days. My aim was to see how Singaporeans and our businesses could benefit by participating in the new Indian government’s economic plans. In Gujarat, I led a group of Singapore business delegates to attend the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 to explore new opportunities in the fast growing state. I met India PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Gujarat Anandiben Patel to discuss opportunities for collaboration in a wide range of sectors where Singapore can add value to Gujarat and India. Mr Modi and Ms Patel welcomed Singapore’s participation and were keen for our companies to invest in India. I then went to Andhra Pradesh (AP) to follow up with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the new capital city project on which Singapore had agreed to work with the state government in December last year. Two Singapore companies – Surbana and Jurong International - were appointed to be the master planners for this project. In the next few months, they will work closely with AP officials to draw up a concept plan for the capital region and a more detailed master plan for the capital city and the seed development area. This is a large scale project that gives us an opportunity to participate in India’s growth and establish Singapore’s and our companies’ credentials in the areas of urban planning and solutions, and infrastructure development such as water and power. Further downstream, it will also generate opportunities for our companies, both big companies and SMEs, to participate in the development of townships, industrial parks, utilities infrastructure and so on. Our companies are responding positively as evident from the sizeable group of business delegates who accompanied us. They see this as a valuable opportunity, but also want to better understand the operating environment and constraints before making any investment decisions. On a lighter note, we were also treated to cultural activities and local delicacies as part of the Ponggal festivities in Visakhapatnam, a port city in Andhra Pradesh. Ponggal is a harvest festival which is also celebrated in Singapore. Happy Ponggal everyone!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 02:48:52 +0000
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