Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong Wie Kuen, on Wednesday, met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and proposed Singapore to be the first partner country in the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit.
In the courtesy meeting held at the chief minister’s official residence between a delegation from Singapore led by the Singapore high commissioner and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, discussions were held to further improve the bilateral relations and cooperation in existing fields and ways to expand it, particularly concerning the state of Uttar Pradesh.
During the talks, Singapore High Commissioner Wong informed the chief minister that various companies from Singapore had invested about USD 250 million in Uttar Pradesh and most of the investments were in Noida and adjoining regions.
Expressing confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and lauding the better connectivity and the Ease of Doing Business in UP after 2017, Wong said that many companies from Singapore were interested in investing in Uttar Pradesh.
“We are encouraging our investors to invest in Lucknow and other parts of the state. The Global Investors’ Summit will be a good opportunity for these companies. It will be a pleasure to collaborate with Uttar Pradesh in various areas of urban development and planning, including water management. Singapore is willing to work in Uttar Pradesh as per the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Wong said.
Terming Uttar Pradesh as his ‘second home’, Wong said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had established a very favourable atmosphere in the state.
Taking forward the cooperation between Singapore and UP in various fields, Wong discussed the proposed skill university in the state. He said that if Singapore could become a partner in this project in some way, it would be useful in further improving the relations between the two countries.
Simultaneously, Wong also proposed a programme for the exchange of technical knowledge and skills between the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Singapore. He said that Singapore was ready to provide necessary training for capacity building of state government officials and employees.
During the talks, Yogi said that India and Singapore shared strong diplomatic and trade relations, and Uttar Pradesh could play an important role in further improving these relations.
“All necessary infrastructure is available in Uttar Pradesh for industrial development. The state is also focusing on improving connectivity with five international airports. The first inland waterway from Haldia to Varanasi is in Uttar Pradesh itself. Singapore companies will find a favourable environment here,” he added.
The chief minister also informed the delegation about setting up a grand film city near Jewar (Gautam Buddha Nagar), where there would also be a Medical Device Park and a Fin-Tech City. Talking about infinite investment possibilities in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi said that the state had the largest micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) base.
A Singapore based company has invested Rs 1,100 crore in the recent groundbreaking ceremony. Stating that Uttar Pradesh was determined to provide an investor-friendly environment, Yogi said that about 21 sectoral policies had been formulated according to the needs of the industry.
The need for water and energy conservation was also discussed during the talks. In this regard, Simon Wong told the chief minister that work was being done by a Singapore-based organisation to raise the standard of living of about 8,500 families in the Ayodhya district.
In this, every family has been given a smart meter, the families who save water and use the least electricity will also be rewarded. Families are being made aware of ways to conserve water and energy. This is a model, through which efforts are being made to make the society aware.
Stating the initiative as an exemplary effort, the chief minister said that the Ayodhya model could be useful for water conservation.