  IntroductionThe Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee stopped over at Dubai, UAE on her return from Spain on September 22,2023. The main aim of Banerjee’s

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee stopped over at Dubai, UAE on her return from 

 on September 22,2023. The main aim of Banerjee’s visits to Spain and Dubai were to attract investment for the state. The 7th edition of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) will be held in Kolkata – the capital of West Bengal --  from 

 BGBS is the state’s flagship investment summit where West Bengal’s economic potential is showcased.

Outreach by India’s state governments vis-à-vis UAE

Several Indian states have been pro-active in their outreach vis-à-vis UAE and sought to build closer economic linkages. Some of India’s Chief Ministers who have visited UAE in recent years are Kerala CM Pinari Vijayan (February 2022 and June 2023), Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin (

). While former Himachal CM visited UAE, recently the current Himachal Pradesh CM, Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu had an 

 interaction with the Himachali community in the UAE.

First, ties between both countries have strengthened in the economic sphere. An FTA dubbed as CEPA – Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement – was came into force in 

 gave a strong fillip to bilateral trade between both countries. While for the period of Apr 21-Mar 2022 trade was estimated at US$ 72.9 Billion, bilateral trade for the period between Apr 22-Mar 2023, trade was estimated at US 

Senior UAE officials have also been interacting with state governments. Apart from trade linkages, there is a convergence between UAE’s increasing focus on infrastructure and India’s states are seeking to tap this. During his UAE visit in October 2022, Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar showcased Haryana’s economic potential as well as big ticket projects – including the 

 Second, there is a large Indian diaspora in UAE with expats from several Indian states which is being tapped by state governments. During his online interaction with diaspora, last month, the Himachal Pradesh CM dubbed Himachalis in 

 as “ambassadors of the state’s rich culture”.

It would be pertinent to point out, that while for long Gulf nations, especially UAE, were a favoured destination for 

. In recent years, there has been a rise in migrants from states like Telangana and UAE. Earlier this year,  UAE also opened a 

 in Hyderabad (this happened to be UAE’s fourth mission in India)

During her UAE visit, Mamata Banerjee showcased her state’s economic potential and policies of her government. While speaking at a business summit in Dubai, the West Bengal CM 

“ Can't you build up my India, my West Bengal?... We have everything. From A to Z."

During her meeting with the UAE Minister of Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the former made the point that 

 is one of the fastest growing economies in India. She extended an invite to the UAE Minister for attending the 

Banerjee also underscored the fact that 12% of West Bengal’s exports “

”. The UAE Trade Minister highlighted the point that 

 accounted for nearly 5% of total India-UAE bilateral trade.

Banerjee’s UAE visit and the focus on enhancing trade and exploring synergies in infrastructure clearly highlights several points. First is the multi-layered character of India-UAE relations, in which there are several stakeholders, including India’s states.

What is also significant is that while the outreach of a few states -- which are more industrialised -- vis-a-vis other countries draws immense media coverage and attention, those – especially East Indian states -- which were considered economic laggards are also beginning to pro-actively reach out to overseas investors. West Bengal due to its location has been an important stakeholder in India’s Act East Policy, as well as India- Bangladesh ties, and in recent years it has been reaching out to several other countries – especially for the Bengal Global Business Summit.

India-UAE bilateral ties: India's states emerging as key stakeholders

0 Comments