Happening Haryana

Haryana made an all-out play for global investment with its first Happening Haryana summit in March 2016. The success of the event led to plans for a second summit in 2018. But, meanwhile, the state hopes to translate the hundreds of MoUs signed into action on the ground.

During the summit, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other government ministers pledged proactive support to ensure extensive infrastructural, industrial and socio-economic development in the state. Finance minister Arun Jaitley pointed out that as Delhi was near saturation point, Haryana stands to benefit from the spill-over if it is ready.

Jaitley said: “Those who don't reform, those states are going to be at a disadvantageous position and those who are in a position to offer a more favourable business and political environment to the investors, certainly those states are going to benefit. Reform or perish couldn't be more true than it is today.”

Just weeks before the state hosted its flagship summit in March, Haryana received investment commitments from eight Chinese companies, with the Dalian Wanda group looking at investing $10 billion in an industrial park at Kharkhoda in Sonipat, which falls under the National Capital Region around 20 km from Delhi. Promoted by Wang Jianlin, one of China's richest men, the group claims to be the largest real estate developer in China with ownership of the largest number of 6,000 cinema screens across the world. The group will invest $10 billion to develop a comprehensive industrial park known as “Wanda Industrial New City”.

The final agreement will be signed after the terms and conditions are agreed upon by both sides. The first phase of the city will come up over an area of approximately 13 sq km. Wanda will be responsible for investing in the project's initial infrastructure and in addition, it would attract other international and Chinese industrial, tourism and residential companies to operate in the park. Most recently, the state government also announced that individuals would be allowed to install grid-connected rooftop solar power plants, with the power generated from them to be sold to either the government or a third party.

The principal secretary in the state's Renewable Energy Department, Ankur Gupta, said: “Haryana government has allowed all individuals to install grid connected rooftop solar power plants of capacity ranging from 1kWp to 1 MWp under net-metering regulations in the state and has also allowed sale of power either to the government or third party from such plants.” Under the Haryana Solar Power Policy 2016, a total capacity of 1,600 MW rooftop solar power plants would be added by the year 2021-22.