‘We began preparing 100 days back’

LUCKNOW: Stage is set for Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit 2018, the first major effort of Yogi Adityanath government to attract investment. Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) Anoop Chandra Pandey and his team have gone into an overdrive to make the event a success. Umesh Raghuvanshi spoke to the IIDC about the challenges ahead of the summit

What major challenges you have faced?

Uttar Pradesh Investors Summit is being organized at a large scale. PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit. President Ram Nath Kovind will be chief guest at the concluding session. To invite leaders of industry and convince them for investment in UP has been a big challenge.

What else?

We have amended some existing policies and formulated new policies too. We also carried out governance reforms. To bring reforms in the system, working out a package for industry and provide single window clearance to create an investor friendly atmosphere was also a great challenge for us.

What are those policies?

We have brought Uttar Pradesh Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy 2017 and 14 sectoral policies. We have formulated a policy for setting up industrial parks in the private sector. We have amended the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code and eased the leasing laws to attract investment.

How many investors do you expect at the summit?

We are expecting 5,000 participants. About 1000 companies and more than 100 exhibitors are also coming for investment. About 200 CEOs are taking part in the dinner that chief minister Yogi Adityanath is hosting on the eve of the summit.

How long did you prepare for the summit?

We began preparations about 100 days ago. Even that was too less to hold such a large event. We have worked hard to make the event a success.

Has the government declared them state guests?

No, all the participants have not been declared state guests. We have given state guest status to leading industrialists, Union ministers and the key speakers at different sessions. This number too may be around 200.

What about political leadership?

We are getting inspiration and guidelines from chief minister Yogi Adityanath. We are implementing vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with cooperation from minister for industry Satish Mahana and our team.

How much investment do you expect?

We will not disclose figures today. You will come to know about this on Wednesday.

Government claims to have signed 900 MoUs.

I will not share any figures today. You will know about the MoUs tomorrow.