Chicago IL: A high-level delegation from the State Government of Chhattisgarh (India) led by Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh visited Chicago from November 29 to December 01, 2016. The delegation comprised of senior officers of Government of Chhattisgarh including Mr. Vivek Dhand, Chief Secretary, Mr. Aman Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to CM & IT and Mr. Subodh K. Singh, Secretary, Commerce & Industries among others. The purpose of the visit was to encourage and promote US investments in Chhattisgarh, particularly in the areas of Food Processing, Engineering, Manufacturing, IT, renewable energy and infrastructure projects. The visit was coordinated by Consulate General of India, Chicago.

During their visit to Chicago, the members of the delegation undertook a field visit on November 30 to â€˜1871â€™ Chicago\'s renowned Centre for Technology & Entrepreneurship, which was created in 2012 to support Chicagoâ€™s digital startup community. The Chhattisgarh delegation found the model of support rendered to young entrepreneurs and start-ups in â€˜1871â€™, especially through the medium of universities, inspiring and relevant for Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh state.

The Consulate also organized a Business Luncheon for the Chhattisgarh delegation the same day in collaboration with USIBC, TiE Midwest and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. CEOs of around 60 top-notch companies of Chicagoland area attended the event, besides delegates from Minneapolis, Indianapolis and St. Louis. Mr Hardik Bhatt, CIO of Illinois & Secretary Designate, Innovation & Technology, Mr Hovan Asdourian, Director, U.S. Commercial Service-Chicago, U.S. Department of Commerce, Mr Ian Steff, Executive VP & Chief Innovation Officer of Indiana, Mr Dennis Pruitt, VP of International Business Recruitment, Missouri Partnership were among the prominent attendees representing the Government agencies.

The Chhattisgarh delegation made an impressive presentation titled \'Credible Chhattisgarh: An Incredible Launch Pad for Business\' showcasing business and investment opportunities in the state. Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh also addressed the business leaders of the US Midwest in which he highlighted the investor-friendly policies adopted by the state. He also participated in the Q&A session and answered queries from potential investors.

The Chhattisgarh delegation also had one-to-one business meetings with several leading companies from Chicago including M/s VeriOwn - a subsidiary of M/s New Generation Power (NGP), M/s RLD Resources and Bloom Companies etc.

A delegation each from Indianapolis and Minnesota also called on the Chief Minister and his delegation to discuss business tie ups with the State of Chhattisgarh. The Indianapolis delegation comprised of Mr. Raju Chintala, President, Indianapolis Hyderabad Sister City Committee & Indiana India Business Council, Mrs. Sumeeta Bhatia, Vice Chairman, India Association of Indianapolis and Mr. Situ Mistry, Board Member, India Association of Indianapolis while Minnesota delegation comprised of Mr. Sudhir Singh, President , International India Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis (IICCO), Mr. Vineet Sinha, Vice President, IICCO , Ms.Elizabeth Fritz, Executive Director, IICCO and Mr. Tony S. Dassan, Member, IICCO.

Before concluding their visit to Chicago, on December 1st, the delegation also visited the Art Institute of Chicago, which was the venue from where Swami Vivekananda had addressed the Parliament of World Religions on September 11, 1893. The CM also visited the India Gallery which had dozens of rare exhibits from the Central India.

Chhattisgarh delegation led by CM Dr. Raman Singh visits Chicago