UP govt to set up NRI corporation

LUCKNOW: The old offices of the UP Finance Corporation will soon house the brand new UP NRI Corporation. In a bid to attract more NRIs to invest in UP and “reconnect with their roots”, the corporation’s formation is already under way and is a part of the Samajwadi Party government’s initiative to roll out the red carpet for UP-wallahs living abroad.
A formal announcement for setting up the corporation, along with UP’s vision document for NRIs across the globe, will be released by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Gandhi Nagar on January 9. While UP will participate in the three-day gala from January 7 to 9, Akhilesh will chair an exclusive session on Uttar Pradesh at PBD on January 9, where he is also expected to urge UP’s non-residents to re-establish a connect with the state. Among other things, the exercise is expected to entail ways in which NRIs may contribute to their home state.
Speaking to TOI, advisor to UP government on externally aided projects and NRI department, Madhukar Jetley, said, “This is the first time the UP government would participate in the PBD. The Indian diaspora spread across the globe has a large population of people from the state. It is our attempt to reach out to them through this event. The chief minister will lead the initiative.”
Jetley also said the decision to setup the NRI Corportion, instead of a directorate as is usually the practice, has been taken to ensure minimum bureaucratic red tape in dealing with matters pertaining to NRIs. “Problem solving will have to be tackled promptly. The Corporation will be a more effective system than the directorate, hence the decision,” he said. As an extension of their NRI-friendly initiatives, Jetley also said UP will set up NRI cells in UK, US, the Gulf and Far East. “Basically, we want to be present, wherever our people are,” he said.
The SP government’s participating in PBD follows a series of NRI-friendly initiatives launched by the state through 2014. Apart from unveiling a dedicated NRI department in July 2014, the CM also launched a website for the department. Aiming to be a single-window gateway for NRIs native to UP, the website “showcases” UP as a popular investment destination for offshore Indians.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Japan tour in 2014, the SP government also constituted a Japan Cell in its NRI department. This unit, the government said, was established to work under the state government’s NRI department and was also given a nodal officer to liaise with the NRIs. Among other initiatives, the CM also enlisted the assistance of UP’s NRIs, especially in strengthening the state’s health sector. Launching SVADESH, an initiative for medical care in Lucknow, the CM signed an MoU with the international NGO, a project initiated by three NRIs, Dr Nandini and Priya Tandon from US, and Dr BR Shetty from Abu Dhabi. The Tandon sisters had approached UP government for the revival of the once famous Sitapur eye hospital owned by their ancestors. The NGO had also promised to take up health services in other parts of the state.