India’s Twinning Agreements
The Government of India has engaged in Twin/Sister agreements between Indian states and cities with those in partner nations as an efficient tool to bolster cultural and diplomatic ties, as well as trade and investment relations. The initiative, which traces its origin back several decades, has gained momentum under the current central government. Such arrangements have allowed for seamless exchange of resources and expertise between foreign partner nations, benefits of which have reached the broader masses. As the world gets more integrated, owing to technological innovations as well as increasingly similar developmental challenges, such twinning agreements will go a long way in finding effective solutions and unlocking new opportunities.
Below mentioned are the key twinning and sister agreements between Indian states and cities and those in foreign partner nations over the past decade.
- Gujarat and Guangdong province, China (2014)
- Rajasthan and South Australia state, Australia (2015)
- Karnataka and Sichuan province, China (2015)
- Kerala and Sanin, Japan (2015)
- Gujarat and Hyogo Prefecture, Japan (2016)
- Andhra Pradesh and Sichuan province, China (2016)
- Andhra Pradesh and Guizhou Province, China (2016)
- Meghalaya and Wallonia region, Belgium (2017)
- Karnataka and Indiana state, USA (2017)
- Uttarakhand and Bali, Indonesia (2018)
- Delhi and Fukuoka Prefecture (2018)
- Andhra Pradesh and the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland (2018)
- Assam and Chiang Mai Province, Thailand
Twinning between Cities
- Bengaluru and San Francisco, California, USA (2008)
- Mumbai and Busan, South Korea (2009)
- Mangalore and Delta, British Columbia, Canada (2010)
- Chennai and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2010)
- Kochi and Norfolk, Virginia, USA (2010)
- Bhubaneshwar and Cupertino, California, USA (2011)
- Hyderabad and Schaumburg, Illinois, USA (2011)
- Amritsar and Bakersfield, California, USA (2011)
- Jaipur and Pocheon, South Korea (2011)
- Mysore and Cincinnati, Ohio, USA (2012)
- Bikaner and Udine, Italy (2012)
- New Delhi and Beijing, China (2013)
- Kolkata and Kunming, China (2013)
- Kochi and Stavropol, Russia (2013)
- Kochi and Pyatigorsk, Russia (2013)
- Bengaluru and Chengdu , Sichuan, China (2013)
- Chennai and San Antonio, Texas, USA (2013)
- Varanasi and Kathmandu, Nepal (2014)
- Bodh Gaya and Lumbini, Nepal (2014)
- Ayodhya and Janakpur, Nepal (2014)
- Mumbai and Shanghai, China (2014)
- Ahmedabad and Guangzhou, China (2014)
- Chennai and Chongqing, China (2015)
- Hyderabad and Qingdao, China (2015)
- Aurangabad and Dunhuang, China (2015)
- Kochi and Menlo Park, California, USA (2015)
- Chennai and Ulsan, South Korea (2016)
- New Delhi and Ottawa, Canada (2016)
- Agra and Chengdu, China (2016)
- Mysore and Nashua New Hampshire, USA (2016)
- Coimbatore and Esslingen am Neckar, Germany (2016)
- Lucknow and Wenzhou, China (2017)
- Nagpur and Jinan, China (2017)
- New Delhi and Seoul, South Korea (2017)
- Jaipur and Adelaide, Australia (2017)
- New Delhi and Leuven, Belgium (2017)
- Ahmed abad and Kobe, Japan (2019)
- Amritsar and Thetford, England , UK (2018)
- Panaji and Victoria, Seychelles (2018)
- Nashik and Budapest, Hungary (2018)
- Agra and Petra, Jordan (2018)
- Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, Kerala and the Municipality of Sines (Portugal)
- Port Blair and Sabang (Indonesia) – Sister Port City Agreement
- Almora (Uttarakhand and Saas Fee (Valais Switzerland)- Sister City Arrangement
- Mumbai, India and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
- Tamil Nadu/Chennai and Fujian / Guanzhou City(China).
Top 5 reasons that highlight India as a favourable investment destination
- Economic Factors: India, as one of the fastest growing economies in the world has seen a healthy inflow of foreign investment. This has been driven by special incentives including permitting 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in core sectors such as Technology, Defence, Automotives, Financial Services, Infrastructure, Retail, etc . More than 4,000 MNCs have benefited through their engagement with India
- Manpower Surplus: By 2030, India have a talent surplus of more than 245 million people with skills in diverse areas such as Technology, Construction, Medical services, Banking services, Manufacturing, Transportation, Tourism and Entrepreneurship. Government of India’s Skill India programme will play an important role in building these skills and creating a ready-to-onboard workforce
- Domestic Demand: India has a huge domestic market of 1.3 billion people whose purchasing power has steadily increased. Indicators such as car sales, retail lending and goods imports show strong rise in consumer spending. Economic growth, expanding urbanisation and a growing middle class have become attractive magnets for investment
- Geographic Advantage: India’s location in the fast-growing Southeast Asian region with access to Eurasian and Afro-Asian sea-trade routes have created attractive opportunities. The country also possesses rich mineral, hydrocarbon and agricultural resources.
