Americans are coming! president of the US-India Business Council (USIBC) Ron Somers had announced in January at a partnership summit in Agra.

True to his words, nearly 40 American CEOs from various sectors have come to Uttar Pradesh (UP) exploring business opportunities.

It is the biggest-ever business delegation from the US to any Indian state. It will explore opportunities in areas such as agriculture, food processing, manufacturing, infrastructure, IT, healthcare and skills development.

The business summit, ?Destination Uttar Pradesh ? Investing in the Future?, has been organised by Confederation of India Industries, USIBC and the UP government.

Addressing the delegation, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said capital and technology are the critical needs to tap the unlimited potential of the state. ?I welcome you to UP to explore opportunities, envision your success and partner with us in UP?s growth journey,? he said.

Somers said he was surprised on receiving a call from the chief minister, who had taken oath ?barely three days? ago. ?The chief minister called me just days after he took over and asked me to meet him. When I did, he asked me what is it that is holding back investors from coming to UP. Now, that is, to my mind, a very positive step and by the end of this session, we would like to work out a wishlist, where we would plug the holes and fix the policies that are needed to be refined so that we are able to invest in the state,? he said.

USIBC chairman and MasterCard Worldwide president & CEO Ajay Banga said what the investors would like from the state government is ?transparency, predictability and consistency?. ?What, we, as a business community, would like most are these three basic ingredients so that we can be sure of giving safe returns to shareholders. I believe both soft and hard infrastructure have a crucial role to play in UP?s economic development. UP needs to create between 1-2 million jobs every year. I hope before we leave, we would define an agenda for progress that is beneficial to everyone. We have to do business but we need to do that responsibly,? he said.

UP chief secretary Jawed Usmani said the government is ?committed to make UP as the most preferred investment destination?.