London, Oct 20 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari and other members of the state government delegation, met Anil Agarwal, Chairman of natural resources conglomerate Vedanta Group in London on Saturday on the concluding day of UK visit, and invited him to become a 'partner in Rajasthan's progress'.

During the meeting, Vedanta group Chairman Agarwal reaffirmed his commitment to invest more than Rs 1 lakh crore in expanding the facilities of his units - Hindustan Zinc, Cairn Oil and Gas and Serentica Renewables – as well as setting up an industrial park around the Udaipur area on a non-profit basis, for small and medium scale industries.

Discussions were also held between the Chief Minister and Agarwal on the development of ‘Puchri ka Lauta’ (an important religious site related with Govardhan Parikrama) and adjoining areas in an integrated way and a detailed presentation was made by the government delegation on Rajasthan’s areas that fall under Krishna Bhoomi Vikas.

Impressed with the development plan of 'Puchri ka Lauta', Agarwal showed his keenness to help the state take up this project.

"We had a highly productive discussion, and Anil Agarwal was impressed by our business-friendly policies. He has joined hands with our government to double his investment in Rajasthan and further strengthen the state's business proposition. I invited him to be a 'partner in Rajasthan's progress' and support our endeavour of 'Viksit Rajasthan'," Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said after the meeting.

In the meeting with Vedanta group chairman, a number of well-known investors from the UK were also present during which investment opportunities in Rajasthan were discussed. These investors showed keen interest in exploring the state and its offerings.

The Rajasthan government delegation later in the day visited the British Museum and held discussions with the officials of the museum to explore collaboration with Rajasthan-based art museums and galleries.