Rajasthan CM invites Japanese business community to invest in his state

Jaipur, Sep 11 (IANS) A high-level delegation led by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday was in the Japanese capital Tokyo as part of the preparations for the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit 2024, which is scheduled to take place from December 9-11 in Jaipur. 

Speaking during a meeting with the investors, the Chief Minister urged them to invest in Rajasthan.

"We are looking forward not just to investments but to a lasting and long-term partnership with Japan. With your technical expertise and our commitment to growth and innovation, we can build a prosperous future," he said while inviting the business community and investors from Japan to explore investment opportunities in Rajasthan.

Addressing the 'Investor Meet' in Tokyo, he said: "I am confident that this international investors meeting with Japanese entrepreneurs will write a new chapter in our historic partnership. Japan has been a pioneer in investing in India, and I am happy to be standing in the city of Tokyo today, which is known worldwide for its technological innovation, corporate leadership, electronics and automobile industry. Tokyo is a symbol of innovation and progress. These are the characteristics that we are also encouraging in Rajasthan.

"Our commitment to providing a suitable business environment for Japanese investors is evident from the success of the Neemrana Japanese Investment Region, where now more than 48 Japanese companies have invested about $8.34 billion and employed more than 26,500 people. These investors know that Rajasthan is the most suitable place for investment and the success of the Japanese Zone has reinforced this confidence. The state has taken significant steps towards enhancing water availability in Rajasthan through the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which will help meet the water needs in Neemrana and other industrial areas," he added. 

"Seeing the interest of Japanese companies, a second Japanese Investment Region spread over 500 acres has been developed just 20 km away from Neemrana. We can now become an ideal place for global expansion for Japanese companies with two investment regions. The Rajasthan government plans to launch new industrial policy, export promotion policy, garment and apparel policy, warehousing and logistics policy, data centre policy and MSME policy soon to further simplify the business environment," Sharma said on the occasion.

"Our government is committed to solving the issues of investors and making the business environment positive. We especially want to strengthen business relations with Japanese investors, thereby building deeper ties between Rajasthan and Japan."

Under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme (RIPS), the state government has provided incentives and subsidies to enterprises.

The Rajasthan CM further said that the state government is committed to green development for promoting renewable energy projects. 

"Our state is one of the leading states in renewable energy and ranks first in solar energy. We are setting up solar parks for solar energy projects, which will provide a better environment to investors here."

"Rajasthan has immense potential in the automobile industry, engineering, textiles and electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM). The state has three electronics manufacturing clusters and the region is an ideal place for investment for the global market," he said. 

He also called upon Japanese investors to invest in education, saying: "We are committed to making our education system of international standards and invite Japanese investors to join us."

Sharma further spoke on the state government's 'Rajinvest Portal', saying: "We have taken initiatives like the Raj Nivesh Portal to make the investment process easy and efficient. This platform integrates 123 services from 14 departments and ensures timely approvals."

The Rajasthan Chief Minister also met Takeshi Mizutani, the vice president of KAI Group; KAI India's managing director Rajesh Pandya and other officials in Japan. KAI Group is one of the investors in Neemrana Japanese Industrial Zone and has a manufacturing plant there. Sharma discussed furthering the partnership and new investment opportunities in the state.

Kazuhiro Koshikawa, Member, Board of Directors, Nippon Steel Trading also met the Rajasthan Chief Minister in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Nippon Steel is one of the Japanese investors operating in the Japanese Industrial Area in Neemrana.