Singapore, Hong Kong investors to pump in ₹18,000 cr in Haryana: CM

FIVEDAY VISIT Five memoranda of understanding signed, employment for about 10,000 people expected

CHANDIGARH: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said that the five memoranda of understanding (MOUs) signed during his five-day visit to Singapore and Hong Kong are likely to bring in an investment of ₹18,000 crore and also provide employment to about 10,000 persons.

Khattar, who was addressing mediapersons a day after his return from the foreign visit, here, said that he probably was the first chief minister of the state to have visited Singapore and Hong Kong. He said that prior to this visit, he had already visited United States, Canada, Japan and China with the sole aim of bringing investment to the state.

“The duration of my visits would have been longer, had my aim been to only travel,” he said, stating his visit was strictly aimed at inviting investors to Haryana.

He said that during his visit to these countries, 14 MOUs were signed in all, of which nine were at an advanced stage while the remaining five were in progress.

He said that the state government had appointed one relationship manager each with companies with whom MOUs had been signed so as facilitate them and also to resolve all their queries quickly.

When asked as to why investors were keen on setting up projects in the national capital region (NCR), Khattar said the Haryana government was formulating two schemes to make available land for entrepreneurs to establish industries and to provide source of income to villages in the state. Besides, religious tourism was being promoted and possibilities of weekend tourism are being sought to attract visitors to the state. “Apart from this, a scheme is also being prepared to lease out unutilised land of village panchayats. About 1 lakh acre land of village panchayats is lying unutilised in the state. We are preparing a scheme to give this land to entrepreneurs on long lease through auction, with the permission of the panchayats concerned. The land will be leased out on rates to be prescribed by the government, and these would be increased from time-to-time. This will provide a source of income to the village panchayats, besides ensuring development of the villages,” he added.

Khattar further said that after identifying land for projects, the state government would approach the farmers and offer to purchase their land. The government would soon post its requisitions on the online land purchase portal ‘e-Bhoomi’.

Haryana government was formulating two schemes to make available land for entrepreneurs to establish industries. M L KHATTAR, chief minister