Finland wants to tango with UP

Finland has evinced interest in partnering the Uttar Pradesh government in various sectors, including the smart city project, power, renewable energy, smart grid solutions etc.

Taking this agenda forward, Finland minister for environment, energy and housing Kimmo Tiilikainen today called upon UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath here this evening and held wide ranging discussions, while offering Finnish expertise in hordes of sectors.

Earlier in the day, industry chamber FICCI and Embassy of Finland had jointly organised an industry interaction in Lucknow. It witnessed the participation of 21 Finnish companies offering innovative and sustainable solution in the energy, smart grid, smart cities sectors, apart from some funding agencies.

The session also saw the participation of 30 Indian companies, who later partook in B2B sessions with their Finnish counterparts.

“We are here to offer our technological expertise in a wide range of sectors, including smart cities, smart grid, renewable energy, power etc. I am also looking forward to hearing the chief minister about his vision of development and to see where Finnish companies could contribute,” Tiilikainen said on the sidelines.

UP industry minister Satish Mahana and power minister Srikant Sharma represented the state government at the summit.

Tiilikainen said Finland was desirous of expanding the scope of partnership with UP in different sectors. Finnish technology could be used for energy conservation projects, while it could be employed in better traffic management, he added.

Mahana observed UP had transformed over the last six months even as he exhorted FICCI to serve as a bridge between Finland and India. He claimed now investors were showing interest in setting up their industries in the state.

Sharma said the state government had undertaken various new projects, including providing electricity connection to every household. He noted the partnership between Finland and UP would help the state develop in different sectors.

Over the past few months, the representatives of various governments, including Israel, Japan, France, Belgium and now Finland, have met Yogi and offered their expertise in the on-going state projects.

EOM