In a high-level meeting held on Tuesday, Jharkhand Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari engaged in an in-depth discussion with the US Consulate General on avenues for cooperation and investment across multiple sectors in the state. Key focus areas included mining, tourism, agriculture, higher education, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and workforce development.
Chief Secretary Tiwari emphasized Jharkhand’s immense potential for investment and collaboration, highlighting the state’s vast natural resources and efforts to skill the local workforce for broader economic engagement. She underlined the transformative impact of initiatives like the Maiyaan Samman Yojana, spearheaded by the Chief Minister, which has significantly improved women’s safety and empowerment, while also curbing labour migration.
Discussions also explored potential collaboration with American universities in the field of higher education. The US Consulate General, Kelly Jail Diaz, expressed keen interest in advancing efforts in the identified sectors and stressed the need to initiate the next phase of engagement.
Joint Ventures in Mining, Green Energy, and Tourism Discussed
Jharkhand’s Secretary of Mines, Rahul Kumar Sinha, informed the US Consulate General about substantial opportunities for joint ventures in the mining sector, including coal and other minerals. He also highlighted the potential for setting up mining equipment manufacturing units and advancing processing in lithium, graphite, and titanium.
ALSO READ: 3 Naxalites killed in gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand’s Gumla district
AK Rastogi, Chairman of the Task Force on Sustainable Just Transition, spoke about Jharkhand’s leadership in environmental conservation, noting that it holds the highest forest cover in India at 33 percent. He emphasized the potential for collaboration in the carbon credit market.
Rastogi also promoted Jharkhand’s tourism potential and stressed opportunities in agriculture, with nearly 70 percent of the state’s population engaged in farming.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari, US Consulate General Kelly Jail Diaz, her associate Sangeeta De Chanda, Mines Secretary Rahul Kumar Sinha, and A K Rastogi.