India will soon start discussing a trade pact with the Donald Trump administration in the United States that will potentially be the ”mother of all deals”, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Friday.

Addressing the Invest Kerala Global Summit, he said the proposed accord would signal a strong and powerful engagement with the US and provide huge opportunities for both Indians and Americans to work together to complement each other’s strengths.

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The two-day summit, which was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was attended by Kerala Industries Minister P Rajeeva and Union Minister for Skill Development Jayant Chaudhary. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed the gathering via video conferencing. The summit is being attended by nearly 3000 delegates from India and abroad.

Mr Goyal said India is also in talks with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Oman, and some other countries for trade pacts. ”This is the time not to miss the boat and to invest in India, invest in Kerala, because those who miss the boat may be left at the shore,” he added.

Describing Kerala as an attractive destination for investments, he offered the Centre’s strong support to the state in realising its full potential in terms of attracting investments.

”Look at what all Kerala offers to the investors. Whether it is tourism, whether it is manufacturing, whether it is logistics. In every sphere, Kerala is at the forefront of development,” he said.

The minister went on to praise Kerala for all that it brings to the table for the investors. ‘Today, the entire country is working with the spirit of cooperative federalism. All states are working in tandem with the Centre in the spirit of collaboration, and, of course, there must be some competition also,” he said.

Addressing the gathering, the Kerala chief minister asserted that the investors coming to the state will not face any hurdle in their way to leverage the state’s strategic advantages to set up industries.
“We have assured that no investor coming to Kerala will have to face the cobweb of procedural delays and meet barriers of red tape,” Mr Vijayan said while opening the summit.

Observing that the summit is taking place at a time when Kerala’s investment scenario is on the cusp of a historic transformation, he said, “We have made major strides in simplifying procedures as regards investments.”

Mr Vijayan said Kerala has witnessed the establishment of 6,200 startups with an investment of Rs 5,800 crore, creating 62,000 jobs. “We aim to have 15,000 startups and create 100,000 jobs by 2026,” he added.

Citing a slew of legislative and policy initiatives that have transformed the state’s industrial landscape, he said “these changes brought about by the state government are not incremental but substantial.”

After making outstanding achievements in human development, the state is now taking a leap towards the status of an investment hub with the government playing the role of facilitator and catalyst, paying attention to the formulation of policies and their last-mile implementation, the chief minister said.