Strategic location with well-developed infrastructure

Home to most of the MNCs located in India and a diverse and supportive MSME base, the state boasts connectivity through its well-developed social, physical and industrial infrastructure. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, just east of Mumbai, is the largest port in India, handling 55% of the country’s containerized cargo. Apart from the four international and seven domestic airports in Maharashtra, the state is well connected to its six neighbouring states and other parts of India through eighteen national highways.

Abundant skilled manpower

Maharashtra has a large base of skilled and industrial labour. We have more than one million students graduating every year, get- ting into a wider variety of sectors. Our more than 1,000 engineering colleges and industrial training institutes provide the backbone of skilled labour for our state and the entire country.

Progressive government

The state is a pioneer in small scale industries and has the largest number of special export promotion zones. The state has one of the largest and oldest nodal agencies, Maharashtra Investment Development Corporation (MIDC) to ensure dedicated investor facilitation and promotion. In addition, our government works relentlessly to improve the ease of doing business so that Maharashtra continues to be the investment destination of choice for foreign investors.

Given your multi-sectoral reach, what do you believe are the key sectors driving the economic growth of Maharashtra, as well as India as a whole?

Maharashtra is one of the biggest contributors to Indian economy, accounting for 30% of the cumulative FDI inflow (April` 00 – December` 16) and 15% of India’s total GDP, on aver- age. The investments come from fields like manufacturing, in- frastructure and real estate, pharmaceuticals, information technology, and automotive manufacturing.

What is your overarching vision for MIDC in the future and how do you want the Indian brand to resonate within the ASEAN community?

In 2016, Singapore’s Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI) rated Maharashtra as the top performer in overall competitiveness. We are proud of this achievement and through our Make in Maharashtra initiative under the leadership of the Hon’ble Chief Minster, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, we will continue to improve the ease of doing business in the state and develop the supporting industrial infrastructure to attract more local and foreign direct investment in the region.

www.midcindia.org

It focuses on four core business activities pertaining to Agrofinance, Procurement, Supply Chain/Storage and creating a Digital Marketplace. Though strongly anchored on agrarian values, the innovation of StarAgri business concept lies intransforming the archaic product-focused approach to agribusiness, into a service-driven model that is aligned with the modern business psyche.

From cultivation to commercialization, StarAgri undoubtedly stands at the critical juncture of India’s new sunrise industry. In 2014, the company’s pioneering spirit caught the eye of Singapore’s largest investment holding, Temasek, who invested a significant minority stake and dubbed StarAgri as one of the high growth companies in agriculture globally.

Today, StarAgri boasts as Asia’s leading post-harvest solution company, grounded on its winning formula of empowering farmers, building the right infrastructure and advanced data analytics. At the crux of its success is also its hands-on approach, as embodied by Mr. Agarwal’s leadership style, who is equally involved in the farmlands as he is in the boardroom, earning him the title of Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.

“Simply put: farming feeds the country. Farming feeds the future,” affirms Mr. Agarwal. “As a business, profits are important, but a stronger drive for us is being cognizant of our purpose as a platform to uplift India for a better tomorrow.”

https://www.staragri.com/

The design and layout plans of the IECC were prepared by ARCOP Associates Pvt. Ltd. with Aedas Pte. Ltd. of Singapore. Approved by Delhi Urban Art Commission and the National Monuments Authority, the complex will house an iconic convention centre with a capacity of 7,000. The new Pragati Maidan will bring together information communication technologies and building design innovation via a smart-grid which manages energy use and reduces waste. Even the basement parking, designed for 4,800 vehicles, will utilize smart-technologies to deliver better services.

Wide-ranging traffic decongestion strategies are also being implemented to benefit the general public and provide better access to the IECC. Covered pedestrian walk-ways around the complex and a skywalk to the Pragati Maidan Metro station will also improve connectivity.

In line with the pace of development projects in India, ITPO expects to deliver the project within twenty four month.

‘Our task is to attract participants and business delegates from all over the world’, says Goyal. ‘With its sheer magnificence and business conduciveness, the IECC will be an architectural marvel and a majestic landmark destination designed to be experienced in its entire splendour’.

www.indiatradefair.com

BEL, initially a manufacturer of defence communication radios and radars, is today the preferred tier one supplier of complete defence electronics equipment and systems end to end solutions for defence platform manufacturers including Reliance Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics. The company also exports products to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia and many other friendly countries.

After successfully building a coastal surveillance system for the Indian Coast Guard, BEL is establishing similar systems in the Seychelles and the Maldives. BEL products are also being used in homeland security and smart cities.

BEL’s air defence systems, particularly the medium range surface-to-air missile system ‘Akash’ and the upgraded anti-aircraft weapon system ‘Shilka’ are also proving successful in India, and further afield.

The company grew seventeen per cent last year and Gowtama plans to achieve this same figure in 2017.

‘My priorities today are to align BEL with the increasing demands of the Indian defence industry while further developing our export business’.

BEL has been active in Southeast Asia for almost twenty years through the company’s Singaporean office which handles procurement, marketing and customer support. With opportunities across the region, BEL is establishing more offices in the ASEAN region to better serve customers.

‘Our customers’ see BEL as a good company to partner with’, says Gowtama. ‘We will continue to forge long-term alliances and create a strong marketing force which will meet the needs of customers around the world’.

www.bel-india.com