100 US firms planning to leave China due to Covid-19 interested in UP, says minister

UP officials held a webinar with 100 US firms in which many leading names from logistics, electronic and automobile sectors participated, said state’s MSME minister Sidharth Nath Singh.

Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh has said that the state government is in touch with about 100 US companies who want to leave China due to the coronavirus crisis. He added that these companies have shown interest to come to UP.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chairs a meeting with 'Covid-19 management Team-11' of the state in Lucknow on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

“US has significant investment in China. Prime Minister and Chief Minister want to use the opportunity where industries are moving out of China and see how they can be brought to India, especially to UP. Video-conferencing was held with over 100 American companies yesterday, in a webinar. They’ve shown interest,” said Singh, who holds the MSME portfolio.

He said that these companies are big names in logistics, scientific instrumentation, electronic and automobile sectors. “They already have investments in China. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to bring them to UP, given how we’re working by making changes in our industrial and sectorial policy,” Singh added.

The webinar was organised by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum.

Singh said that at the webinar he told the US companies about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s sector-specific policies mainly in the defence, pharmaceuticals, food processing, electronics and education sectors.

Sehgal said that US businessmen hailed Yogi government’s fight against Covid-19. They were also informed of the Team-11 which has been set up by the chief minister to check the spread of the virus in the state.