Haryana signs ₹4,000cr investment deals during Saini’s Sweden visit

At India-Sweden Innovation Day, CM Nayab Singh Saini pitches the state as a manufacturing and investment destination, while exploring sister-city partnerships and cooperation in education, skills and clean energy

Haryana signed letters of intent (LoIs) and agreements worth ₹4,000 crore during chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s visit to Sweden from October 14 to 17, with the state also establishing a city-to-city partnership between Gurugram and Stockholm to promote cooperation in urban development.

Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini (second from right is on a visit to Sweden from October 14 to 17. (HT Photo)

Sharing details of the visit on Friday, officials said the agreements included a ₹3,000-crore LoI signed by the Haryana government and deals worth ₹1,000 crore in the retail and warehousing sectors. The Gurugram-Stockholm collaboration is aimed at facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise in urban planning and development.

Officials said the agreements were aimed at strengthening trade and economic cooperation and attracting Swedish investment to Haryana. They added that Swedish companies were expected to generate employment opportunities for skilled youth in the state.

Addressing India-Sweden Innovation Day 2026 on Thursday, Saini highlighted existing Swedish investments in Gurugram, Faridabad and Jhajjar and invited more companies to participate in the Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit 2027.

“Being present at the India-Sweden Innovation Day is a matter of honour. Today’s event is an opportunity to advance our shared commitment to innovation for a competitive future under the India-Sweden 2035 vision,” Saini said, thanking the organisers for making Haryana a state partner in this year’s programme.

Among the Swedish investments cited by Saini were IKEA’s proposed ₹3,500-crore integrated project in Gurugram, the Carl-Gustaf manufacturing facility being established at MET City in Jhajjar and ABB’s manufacturing operations in Faridabad. He also referred to Swedish education group Kunskapsskolan, which opened its first Indian school in Gurugram in 2013.

“These projects reflect the shared efforts of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Made with Sweden’,” Saini said.

During a meeting with Swedish minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade Benjamin Dousa, Saini discussed potential cooperation in education, skill development and energy. He also highlighted Haryana’s 18 dry ports (inland container depots) as an area for possible collaboration.

Dousa welcomed the Haryana delegation and expressed willingness to pursue future initiatives with the state. Saini also invited him to the Happening Haryana summit, scheduled from April 5 to 7, 2027.

Haryana is also examining Sweden’s sister-city concept as a possible model for cooperation between established cities and emerging urban centres under the Panchgram Plan, which envisages five new greenfield smart cities along the 135.6km Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Western Orbital Expressway.

The sister-city concept, known in Sweden as vänort, or friendship town, involves cooperation between municipalities in areas such as governance, culture, economic development and public services. Such partnerships can also facilitate exchanges on public transport, waste management, environmental protection and sustainable infrastructure.

Officials said Gurugram could share its experience in investment facilitation, urban planning and civic administration with the five proposed urban centres along the KMP Expressway.

“The concept of sister cities has ensured uniform development across Sweden, and that is our vision. We want all major cities of Haryana to stand on par with each other when it comes to infrastructure, investment, culture and tourism, and to help each other,” urban local bodies minister Vipul Goel said.

However, experts said the effectiveness of such partnerships would depend on how they were structured, the responsibilities assigned to participating cities and whether the exchange of expertise resulted in improvements on the ground.

They also pointed out that Gurugram’s rapid expansion had exposed gaps in road infrastructure, drainage, waste management and municipal service delivery, which would need to be addressed while planning the new cities.

Saini also invited Swedish delegates to visit Kurukshetra for the International Gita Mahotsav, scheduled from November 28 to December 15, 2026.