Governor Phil Murphy Launches New Jersey-India Commission

HI INDIA NEWS DESK
TRENTON, NJ Governor Phil Murphy has signed an order to establish the New Jersey-India Commission, aimed at bolstering bilateral trade and investment while fostering economic development in both New Jersey and India.

Given India’s status as the most populous country globally with one of the fastest-growing economies, the commission’s objectives include promoting cultural and educational exchanges between New Jersey and India and fostering sustainable, long-term economic growth.

Reflecting on his 2019 visit to India, Governor Murphy expressed commitment to strengthening the relationship between New Jersey and India, leveraging their shared economic strengths. He highlighted the significant contributions of New Jersey’s Indian immigrant population and emphasized the commission’s role in seizing new opportunities for mutual growth and innovation.

India stands as New Jersey’s second-largest foreign direct investor, with a substantial portion of New Jersey’s immigrant community originating from India. Over the past two decades, India’s investments totaling $2 billion have contributed to the creation of nearly 6,000 jobs, particularly in vital sectors such as life sciences and technology.

Consul General of India, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, praised Governor Murphy’s initiative, underscoring the existing robust economic engagement between India and New Jersey, with trade exceeding $10 billion and significant two-way investments.

Wesley Mathews, appointed as Chair of the Commission, expressed enthusiasm for the establishment of the New Jersey-India Commission. He highlighted the alignment of economic visions between the two entities, citing numerous economic missions, sister-state relationships, and memorandums of understanding across various sectors. Mathews looks forward to collaborating with fellow commission members to further strengthen the partnership.

The New Jersey-India Commission will comprise 35 to 45 members, each appointed by the Governor. Among those appointed are individuals such as Dini Ajmani, Natasha Alagarasan, Sri Atluri, Snehal Batra, Coleen Burrus, Ravi Dattatreya, Kirti Desai, Parimal Garg, Vin Gopal, Balpreet Grewal-Virk, Kiran Handa Gaudisoso, Pavita Howe, Jaime Jacob, Monica Jain, Gurbir Johal, Suchitra Kamath, Krishna Kishore, Vidya Kishore, Kris Kolluri, Indu Lew, Jose Lozano, Wesley Mathews, Anjali Mehrotra, Deelip Mhaske, Raj Mukherji, Suresh Muthuswami, Srinivas Pallia, Anand Paluri, Falguni Pandya, Carrie Parikh, Rajiv Parikh, Gurpreet Pasricha, Deepak Raj, Jatin Shah, Huzaifa Shakir, Sterley Stanley, Ragy Thomas, Steven Van Kuiken, and Christina Zuk.