Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday invited the UAE to invest in key sectors, including tourism and hospitality, green energy, dairy, food processing and data storage.

He extended the invitation when United Arab Emirates in India, Ambassador Abdulnasser Alshaali came calling here on Wednesday and discussed potential investment opportunities in the state.

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Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh offers unique investment opportunities as it has breathtaking landscapes including vast snow bound areas, hills and water bodies.

“To enhance tourism infrastructure, the state government is developing multiple ropeways, expanding Kangra Airport, constructing new four lanes and heliports to improve connectivity to the visitors which would make Himachal a favourite destination for investment,” he said.

Ambassador UAE evinced keen interest to invest in the tourism sector particularly adventure sports and skiing.

He said that UAE has already identified potential locations for investment in the state and welcomed suggestions from the state government for additional sites.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh is on track to become the Green Energy state by next year.

“Over the last two years, the present state government has taken significant steps to protect the environment of the state and harness the green energy. These initiatives include setting up of new solar power projects, developing six green corridors and converting the entire state owned diesel buses to e-buses in a phased manner,” he said.

Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh has 25 percent of the hydro power generation potential of the country and has tremendous opportunities to invest in green energy including solar energy and pump storage projects.

The UAE Ambassador said that his country is already involved in the green energy sector in India and expressed interest in collaborating with the Himachal Pradesh government on green energy projects.

He also requested specific projects with the UAE for further coordination.

Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh is leading in natural farming in the country and is also promoting dairy industries.

He invited UAE firms to invest in food processing and cold storage facilities, smart city projects and modern urban planning in the towns of the state.

Both of them agreed to accelerate progress in this direction and decided to appoint nodal officers to expedite the implementation of the projects.

The Ambassador said that a technical team from the UAE would visit the state to assess the projects and facilitate further action and after this, another meeting would be held between officers of both sides.