The Vedanta Group – one of the world’s foremost natural resources conglomerates – will invest more than Rs one lakh crore in Rajasthan.

This assurance was reaffirmed by the Group Chairman Anil Agarwal at a meeting on breakfast with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma at the former’s residence in London on Saturday. Sharma called on Agarwal to invite him to the ‘Rising Rajasthan Global Investor Summit scheduled to be held in Jaipur on December 9, 10, and 11.

Advertisement

The chief minister, who, along with a high-powered delegation, was on a week-long tour of Germany and the UK to woo investors ahead of the global meet, yesterday visited the Ambedkar House in London to pay tributes to Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

The delegation also visited the British Museum to explore collaboration in art museums and galleries.

Sharma also organised a Rising Rajasthan Tourism Meet in London and sought investment in the state’s heritage, and wildlife tourism, and exhorted British filmmakers to shoot in Rajasthan. “The vibrant tourism industry in India is expected to reach the size of Euro 31 billion by the year 2029 and Rajasthan will be making a substantial contribution. A new Rajasthan Tourism Policy is also going to be launched by the government soon which will overhaul the sector and make it more attractive for the investors,” he assured filmmakers.

Highlighting the salience of the tourism sector for Rajasthan and the increasing popularity of the state as a prime tourism destination, Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari said, “Rajasthan attracted 180 million domestic and 1.7 million international visitors in 2023 alone making the sector contribute a sizeable 12 per cent to the State’s GDP. Our vision is to create a symbiotic relationship with British investors in the sector that will not only boost the tourism industry but also foster cultural ties between our two great nations.”

The delegation also held deliberations with the officials of Manchester University and Aurora Energy to explore the prospects for viable collaboration in the field of science, engineering, humanities, and social sciences which the university is known for. A MoU in this regard will soon be submitted by the university to the state government.

A fruitful discussion was held with Europe’s largest power analytics provider Aurora Energy, during which the company showed interest in setting up a base in the state of Rajasthan to provide analytical support to the state government and the private companies.

With this, the delegation’s London investor outreach, which included one-on-one meetings with business groups, an investor roadshow, a tourism roadshow, and a non-resident Rajasthani (NRR) Diaspora event, has come to an end.

The members of the delegation later flew back home post-midnight.

Chief Minister Sharma and his delegation reached New Delhi early this morning before leaving for Jaipur. They arrived at the Sanganer Airport here this afternoon to a rousing welcome and at the ruling BJP state headquarters here.