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New Jersey Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Tahesha Way will lead the inaugural New Jersey-India Commission trip to India from December 8 to 16, 2024. The delegation will visit five cities, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and New Delhi. The trip aims to strengthen economic, cultural, and educational ties between New Jersey and India, and to cultivate international investment opportunities.
The delegation includes prominent leaders from business, technology, and public policy. Key figures include Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way; Wesley Mathews, CEO of Choose New Jersey; Deelip Mhaske, an entrepreneur and community leader; Vandana Tilak, CEO of Akshaya Patra Foundation USA; Dr. Sudhir Parikh, Padma Shri awardee and publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media; and Nisha Desai, director of International Trade at NJEDA.
India is New Jersey’s second-largest source of foreign direct investment, making this trade mission a critical step toward expanding collaborations in technology, education, healthcare, and commerce. The delegation's itinerary includes significant engagements across the five cities, such as signing a Sister State Agreement with Karnataka in Bengaluru and high-level discussions with Indian government officials, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi.
According to the official announcement, the trip builds on the success of Governor Phil Murphy's 2019 visit to India, which resulted in the creation of over 1,200 new jobs and the expansion of three Indian companies in New Jersey.