Major foreign firms set to attend Himachal investor summit

Delegates from the UAE, the Netherlands, the US, Germany, Oman, Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia would participated in business-to-government meetings with the state government at the two-day Global Investors Meet, starting on November 7, in Himachal Pradesh, officials said here on Saturday.

Chief Secretary Shrikant Baldi has asked the departments to play a proactive role and get in touch with major international companies, which would be holding business-to-government meetings.

The Global Investors Meet is being organised at Dharamsala in the Kangra district, some 250 km from here.

Vikas Chaturvedi, Chairman of Assocham (Europe), who is coordinating with foreign delegates, said the key sectors in which pacts would be signed included agriculture, horticulture, food processing, infrastructure, education and tourism.

In agriculture, agreements could be signed on enhancing crops yield, crop quality, crop protection and skill development of farmers.

Similarly, under the horticulture sector, pacts could be signed on greenhouse and cold chains. In infrastructure, agreements could be signed on drinking water, waste water and waste to energy.

In tourism, pacts would be signed on ropeways, eco-resort, electric vehicle, all-weather adventure sports centre and reviving Shimla's British-era ice skating rink.

Major companies participating are Amazon, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble of India, LuLu International, BRS Ventures, Emaar Properties, Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, Pro Global Logistics, Sunny General Trading, Giant Group, TUV Austria, Ayana Holding, Twenty14 Holdings and Global Marketing System of the UAE, FIZ Frankfurter Innovationszentrum Biotechnologie GmbH, Prexma of Germany, Druzhba Narodov Nova of Russia, Global Natural Resources of the US and SSR Group of Companies of Canada. IANS