KTR meets industry majors in Mumbai, seeks more investments

During his meetings with the head honchos of different corporate companies, the Minister urged managements to expand their operations in the State with specific focus in establishing new units in tier II towns and cities.

Hyderabad: Hardselling investment opportunities in Telangana to different corporate giants in Mumbai on Thursday, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao invited the Jindal Group to explore possibilities of setting up a steel plant in Bayyaram, a project promised in the AP Reorganisation Act but from which the Centre has repeatedly backtracked.

Taking into consideration the aerospace and defence eco system in Telangana, the Industries Minister, who will soon be leading the Telangana delegation to the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos from January 16, also urged the Tata Group to set up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) centre in Hyderabad.

---

During his meetings with the head honchos of different corporate companies, the Minister urged the managements to expand their operations in the State with specific focus in establishing new units in tier II towns and cities.

The Minister’s whirlwind visit to Mumbai on Thursday saw him meeting corporate heads including Tata Group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Jindal Group Chairman and Managing Director Sajjan Jindal and Hindustan Unilever Limited Managing Director Sanjeev Mehta.

Briefing about the Tata Groups operations in Telangana, the Minister suggested sector-wise possibilities for further enhancing their operations. Considering the industry-friendly policies of Telangana, the Minister urged the Tata Group to invest more in different sectors.

He wanted the Tata management to place Telangana on top of the list in their future expansion plans in different sectors. “Tata Group is making phenomenal job in the aerospace and defence sector with Hyderabad as its base. I request you to explore possibilities of expanding TCS operations to Warangal,” Rama Rao urged Tata Group Chairman Chandrasekaran, apart from pitching for an MRO centre in Hyderabad.

Since the Tata Group was making grand plans in electronics sector, the Minister explained about the pro-electronics sector policies in Telangana and wanted them to set up their units in the State.

Appreciating Telangana’s industry-friendly policies, Chandrasekaran said the experience of continuing the company’s operations reflects the positivity of business management in the State.

“Telangana will definitely be given priority in Tata Group’s expansion plans” he said.

In his meeting with Sajjan Jindal, the Minister explained the advantages of setting up a steel plant in Bayyaram. The union government had assured to set up a steel plant in Bayyaram and SAIL had also evinced interest in establishing the plant, but had later backtracked. This was when there was huge iron ore exploration scope in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and setting up a plant at Bayyaram would be beneficial for the company, he said.

“If Jindal Group is willing to set up a steel plant in Bayyaram, the Telangana government will extend all support,” Rama Rao said, also inviting the group to expand its operations into education, sports and other sectors.

Stating that he was very much aware of Telangana policies, Sajjan Jindal complimented Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership and the progress achieved by the State in a short span, especially in terms of drawing investments.

Later, during his meeting with HUL Chairman and Managing Director Sanjeev Mehta, the Minister discussed various potential investment opportunities for HUL in the FMCG sector in Telangana. Stating that the Telangana government had set grand targets for oil palm cultivation in the State, the Minister said farmers were being motivated accordingly.

“It is an opportune time for HUL to expand its investments in edible oil production in Telangana,” Rama Rao said.

The Industries Minister also held a meeting with RPG Group Managing Director Anant Goenka and discussed investment opportunities in Telangana and other aspects.