Investments in multi-modal logistics hubs, energy, smart cities explored.
By Raif Karerat
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Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who is in the United States with a 19-member delegation of officials and businessmen, continued to strike deals with American institutions in an effort to bolster and expand Haryana’s economy.
A press release from the chief minister’s public relations team on August 20 said the World Bank has agreed to explore investment opportunities in the fields of multi-modal logistics hubs, energy, smart cities, mass rapid transit systems, and other infrastructure projects in Haryana.
The international financial institution would also examine the scope for technical and financial assistance through Global Infrastructure Fund (GIF) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) for a public-private participation project to set up a multi-modal logistics hub.
The possibilities were discussed during a meeting between Principal Secretary of Industries Devender Singh and representatives from the World Bank in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 19. Neeraj Mittal, who represents India at the World Bank, was also involved.
The World Bank officials were briefed on the Haryana government’s plans to establish an integrated multi-modal logistic hub over 1,200 acres as a part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. They were also told about the proposal to develop Gurgaon, Ambala, Faridabad, and Panipat as “smart cities.”
In addition to Singh’s accord with the World Bank, Chief Minister Khattar himself negotiated an agreement with Honeywell International, a Fortune 100 multinational conglomerate that will now consider a proposal to expand operations in Haryana by setting up a research center to further entrench itself in the oil and gas sector.
Honeywell’s representatives indicated they could consider building the research center while meeting with Khattar at the company’s technology center in Washington D.C., where it researches solutions for enterprise-level control and management information systems.