Governor of New Jersey Phil Murphy signed an Executive Order establishing the New Jersey-India Commission in presence of Lt Governor Tahesha Way, Consul General Binaya Srikanta Pradhan & Head of the Commission Wesley Mathews; about 39 leaders from business, technology & politics have been appointed as members of the commission.
Trenton: Governor Phil Murphy on February 6, 2024, signed Executive Order No. 354 establishing the New Jersey-India Commission. The commission will be charged with advancing bilateral trade and investment and encouraging economic development in both New Jersey and India. As India is the most populous country in the world with one of the fastest-growing economies, the commission aims to promote cultural and educational exchanges between New Jersey and India and to promote sustainable long-term economic growth.
“I am honored to establish the New Jersey-India Commission to strengthen the cultural and economic ties between New Jersey and India for generations to come,” said Governor Murphy. “Following my visit to India in 2019, we have been committed to strengthening our relationship, building on the overlapping economic strengths that New Jersey and India have long shared. We take immense pride in the contributions of our vast Indian immigrant population and, through this commission, we can ensure that we seize a new century of opportunities to grow together and pioneer new possibilities.”
“I am delighted to join Governor Murphy today to establish the New Jersey-India Commission,” said Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Tahesha Way. “As Secretary of State, I am thrilled to welcome the commission to my department and look forward to overseeing its work building on the deep-rooted economic, cultural, and societal ties between New Jersey and India. New Jersey’s Indian population enriches our state, and through this commission, we are creating further opportunities for collaboration.”
India is New Jersey’s second-largest foreign direct investor and the majority of New Jersey’s immigrant population hails from India. In September of 2019, Governor Murphy and Choose New Jersey led an economic mission trip to India, fostering economic relations and securing over 1,200 new jobs by expanding the presence of three Indian companies within New Jersey. Over the past two decades, India has invested $2 billion into New Jersey, helping to create nearly 6,000 jobs in key sectors like life sciences and technology.
“Our partnership with New Jersey is unique in several ways,” said Consul General of India Binaya Srikanta Pradhan. “It is a potential story of dynamic convergence and confluence of India’s economic resilience, presence of a highly successful Indian-American community and America’s spirit of innovation, fostering a landscape ripe with opportunities across sectors. Governor Murphy’s initiative to establish the New Jersey-India Commission would add strength to an already existing high level of economic engagement in terms of over $10 billion trade with New Jersey or several two-way investments. This would also give a boost to the strong people-to-people connect that exists between India and New Jersey including in areas of education and knowledge partnership. We also look forward to Governor Murphy’s visit to India in the near future to take forward our partnership to new heights.”
