Ranchi, Feb. 13: An hour of yoga keeps him charged-up to face the challenges of the day, says chief minister's secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal, who is in the A-team of senior IAS officers working tirelessly for over a year to make the state's first-ever Global Investors' Summit a success.

Over a late afternoon lunch of sprouts and fruits, and in between several phone calls, Barnwal, who is also secretary of IT, mines, industries and geology departments, told The Telegraph why Jharkhand is poised to becoming one of the most favoured investment destinations.

TT: How and when did the idea of a global investors' summit evolve?

SKB: It all started in 2015 when chief minister Raghubar Das visited Vibrant Gujarat and he decided to hold a similar conclave in Jharkhand. He shared this with us and, thereafter, lots of deliberations followed. We engaged a PR firm (Adfactors) and a knowledge partner (Ernst & Young). Slowly, we began identifying our core areas that were ripe for investments and prepared policies and plans. Once that was ready, we started taking part in road shows.

For example, in February 2016, we took part in the Make in India summit in Mumbai. After that, we held road shows in Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta. We also went abroad, to places like the US, Singapore, where we spoke about our policies and began branding ourselves. We also took part in various region specific meets, like ABP's Infocom, Bharatiya Pravasi Divas, to generate a buzz around our state. All this created a lot of impact

Like?

For example, when we went to Taiwan last year to take part in the world's largest electronics summit, lots of companies approached us. They are willing to invest in this sector and are also looking for local partners. Similarly, in China, we managed to hold two road shows in Guangzhou and Shanghai. Now, China is sending a huge delegation to the summit

Besides framing policies and holding roadshows, what kind of homework was done for the summit?

The most important one was that we began interacting and coordinating with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) from the beginning to facilitate global participation. As a result, of the 50 countries we have been tapping, 28 have confirmed participation at the summit. These include Japan, the UAE, the US, etc. This indicates a lot of interest in the investor community about Jharkhand. It's, therefore, time for us to present our self before the world and derive mileage

Four countries are partnering the event, right?

Indeed. Japan, Tunisia, Mongolia and Czech Republic who are our partners, also see this as an opportunity for their companies, a two-way process where apart from investments, we can also share a lot in terms of skill, manpower and technology. It's a good start for us

Which are the policies that are most attractive for investors?

We put together 20 new policies, from textile to food processing to information technology, start-ups, tourism and so on. We also created a functional single-window system run by professionals as a one-stop centre for investors. We have also worked on creating a land bank

There are a number of sector-specific seminars.

Yes. Each one has its own significance. I think the sessions on textile and footwear can strike a chord with investors as we feel Jharkhand has become a hub of this industry because of cheap labour and our progressive policy

What about IT, innovations and start-ups?

We already have policies that need to be rolled out properly. We have roped in IIM-Ahmedabad for setting up an innovation lab in Ranchi. We also plan to set up IT parks for which requests for proposals will soon be floated. The biggest change is that we are also looking to set up private IT parks. If you have land, construct an IT park and we will provide incentives. We are in talks with a firm for setting up an IT tower at Namkum

There is a lot of talk about a tie-up with the Adanis?

Yes, we will be tying up with them for a coal polygeneration project. This is the future of clean fuel wherein chemicals generated during coal extraction can be used for generating energy and fuel. It will be a big thing in times to come

There are other states in the east that are marketing themselves with equal aggression.

It's a good thing. But I don't think there is any competition. Each state has a lot to offer and lots of opportunities exist. Sectoral overlapping of investments can happen, but that doesn't mean that opportunities will be less

All of you have been working for the summit for more than two years. How are you managing your schedule?

I love working and rarely feel exhausted when I am engrossed. I manage 6-7 hours of sleep daily and every morning I also do yoga for an hour which keeps me focussed

What according to you will be the real measure of the summit's success?

Honestly, it is difficult to quantify. But I can say that if the summit manages to generate more interest in Jharkhand among investors, half the battle is won. This summit should make people expect more. Last but not the least, we will be successful in creating brand Jharkhand.