Mayawati calls investors meet over investment in UP

Lucknow, July 11 (UNI) Even as suspense over the survival of the UPA government at the Centre still continues, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati has called an 'investors meet' at New Delhi on July 14 to attract big houses for investments in the state.

Ms Mayawati will herself interact with the industrial houses in the meet, where about 100 big and small industries have been invited by the government, official sources here today said.

Both the Reliance groups of bothers -- Mukesh and Anil -- have been invited in the meeting along with other industrial houses, including Tata's, Birla's and Khaitain's. Several construction and real estate companies have also been invited in the day-long meet.

The Chief Minister is expected to announce several sops for the investors as the main agenda of the meeting would be to dispel the general perception before the industrialists that UP does not have an investor-friendly climate.

Putting a spanner on the Reliance Retail and cancellation of several projects approved by the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav government had earned a bad name for the state government in the recent past.

Officials, however, said that though the invitation for the meet had already been sent to all the industrial houses, but if any major political crisis at the national level arises then it might be postponed.

Source said focus of the meeting would be on the development of infrastructural facilities in both the urban and rural sections of the state with priorities in the core sectors such as power, roads, transport, industry, health, education, irrigation and drinking water.

''Discussion on the public-private partnership model would be another agenda of the meeting,'' said an official.

This is the first such meet that is being organised by the government ever since it came to power in May 2007. A list of top industry honchos is being drawn up, who can help promote investment in the state.

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