Nitish hardsells Bihar in Japan as ideal investment destination

Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday made a bid to hardsell Bihar at an investment promotion seminar in Tokyo, saying “its unique geographical proximity to ports, raw material and mineral resources make the state an ideal investment destination.”

Inviting leading Japanese companies to set up production base, Kumar said, “Bihar is a developing state that has been clocking one of the highest growth rates in the last 12 years. The locational advantage can be leveraged both for becoming a part of its ever growing domestic consumption and also exports.”

The attractive industrial policy, availability of cheap labour resource and natural inclination of its predominantly young population for innovation, set it up for emerging into a knowledge and technology driven economy, Kumar, who is on a tour of Japan, quoted as saying in an official release here.

“This partnership will not only unlock the development potential and prove to be a win-win situation for both sides but also have a huge beneficial impact on the social sector, presenting a different kind of sustainable development model,” Kumar said.

“I invite you all to invest in the creation of basic infrastructure, human development, technology support, industrial tie-up, effective service delivery system and educational research,” he said, reminding Japanese companies that renewal energy offered another key area for technology transfer.

The chief minister said Bihar was one of the biggest producers of horticulture items, thereby offering scope for international marketing of agro-based products through value addition.

Making a pitch for investment opportunities in the tourism sector that had Buddhist circuit and many heritage sites, Kumar said, “There is scope for setting up modern hotels, tourist facilities, convention centres, training institutes and other hospitality services, which figured in the priority list of dynamic investment policy.”

The chief minister also inaugurated an exhibition of the famed ‘Mithila painting’ of Bihar at the Vivekanand Mithila Cultural Centre inside the Indian embassy in Tokyo.

Bihar occupies a unique position for Japan. The relation dates back to ancient times, as both are bound by the spiritual glue of Buddhism and, thus, make a perfect pair. Fuji Guruji, during his visit to India, acknowledged Rajgir as the holiest of holy places.

He also established Vishwa Shanti Stupa at Rajgir that not only makes it a must visit tourist destination but also stands as a living testimony to the long standing friendship between the two countries.