Telangana eyes Singapore firms

HYDERABAD: Industries minister K.T. Rama Rao on Tuesday said Telangana state had become the favourite destination for global companies during the past five years.

He was interacting with a delegation headed by Consul General of Singapore in Chennai Pong Kok Tian. During the meeting at the minister’s chambers, both parties discussed opportunities for Singapore companies to invest in Telan-gana state in various sectors, such as information technology, urban infrastructure, pharma and tourism.

Mr Rama Rao assured that the state government would provide all assistance to companies, which are interested in setting up their facilities in the Telangana. He informed the Consul General that major global companies already have their offices in Hyderabad and Singapore’s Surbana Jurong is preparing the master plan for Hyderabad Pharma City.

The minister proposed that a meeting could be organised with heads of Singapore companies looking for opportunities to invest in Telangana state. He highlighted the state government’s industrial policy and TS-iPASS, which is a single-window clearance initiative for investors. He pointed out that Telangana has consistently ranked top in Ease of Doing Business Index in the country.

Mr Rama Rao requested the Consul General to visit Telangana state's industrial parks and incubators, such as T-Hub, to understand the ecosystem in the state. He also mentioned about the planned Bio-Asia 2020 and sought help from the Consul General’s office in inviting major pharma companies for the event.

The Consul General appreciated the policies of the Telangana government and said investor-friendly policies of the state will encourage Singapore companies to invest in Telangana.

Vice-Consul Ivan Tan and Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan were present at the meeting.