Saudi Arabia announces $100 billion investment in India

Saudi Arabia announced its plan to invest $ 100 billion in India, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the Crown Prince of the kingdom, Mohammad bin Salman, in New Delhi on Wednesday.

A meeting between Modi and Mohammad bin Salman, a.k.a MbS, at Hyderabad House in New Delhi was followed by signing of five pacts.

“Prime Minister welcomed the announcement of HRH the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to invest $ 100 billion in India,” T S Tirumurti, Secretary (Economic Relations) at the Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted after the meeting between the two leaders. New Delhi highlighted the Saudi Arabia's announcement as a “huge vote of confidence” on economy of India.

“This is a clear reflection of the confidence of Saudi Arabia in the vibrancy of the Indian economy and the tremendous opportunities available for investment,” Tirumurti posted on Twitter.

Saudi Arabian investment in India will spread over areas like agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing and energy, including in crude oil refineries and petrochemical industries.

MbS commenced his tour to Asia with a visit to Pakistan on Sunday and Monday. He pledged an investment of $ 20 billion by Saudi Arabia in Pakistan, which has been desperately looking for support from the kingdom to boost its fragile economy.

After Modi and MbS held the bilateral dialogue at Hyderabad House, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid Al Falih, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would pave the way for the government of the kingdom to invest in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund of India.

New Delhi's envoy to Riyadh, Ahmad Javed, and Saudi Arabia's Commerce and Investment minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, also signed a “Framework Cooperation Program” between Invest India and the kingdom's General Investment Authority on enhancing bilateral investment relations.

They also signed an MoU between the Government of India and the Government of Saudi Arabia for Cooperation in the field of housing.

Javed and Media Minister of Saudi Arabia Turki Abdullah Al-Shabanah signed an MoU for cooperation on broadcasting between Prasar Bharati and Saudi Broadcasting Corporation for Exchange of audio-visual programme.

An MoU for cooperation in the field of tourism between the Ministry of Tourism of India and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage was also inked.