Guizhou firm pumps funds to aid Indian state

A company based in the province of Guizhou said it has invested 30 million yuan ($4.37 million) in 11 Indian projects to improve key infrastructure in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh.

The projects include the construction of power and gas plants, information communications facilities, regional refrigeration and emergency management, said Zhang Zhao, general director of Guizhou Maritime Silk Road International Investment Corp.

The company is also building a square, a bridge, a water plant, a power station, an industrial park and residential areas in Andhra Pradesh, work on which began last year, he said.

Guizhou is constructing an inland open economic experimental zone in its capital Guiyang, approved by the State Council in August.

"There are opportunities to adopt in Guiyang infrastructure solutions developed in the slums and amid the messy electrical cable systems of the streets of Andhra Pradesh," Zhang said.

India's strengths in big data, healthcare and software industries could benefit Guizhou, he added.

On Jan 6, India's biggest IT educational company -- the National Institute of Information Technology Ltd -- opened a training center in Guiyang for big data professionals. In addition, Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma Ltd plans to build pharmaceutical factories in Guizhou with an estimated turnover of 2 billion yuan by 2025.