A commission established earlier this year will make its inaugural trip to India next month.

In February, Gov. Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 354 establishing the New Jersey-India Commission and making a series of appointments. The commission is tasked with advancing bilateral trade and investment to encourage economic development in both New Jersey and India, which is the Garden State’s second largest foreign direct investor. Indian-Americans represent the largest group of foreign-born residents in the state.

In April, Rajpal Bath was named executive director of the commission, which is under the purview of the Department of State. Wesley Mathews, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey, serves as chair of the commission.

On Nov. 21, Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who also serves as Secretary of State, announced she will lead the inaugural commission trip to India, set for Dec. 8 to 16. She made the announcement during an event hosted by the commission at Samudhra Restaurant in Franklin Park.

Excited to announce that I’ll be leading the inaugural trip of the @NewJerseyIndia Commission to India in early December.

Our delegation of over 20 New Jerseyans will focus on strengthening economic, educational, and cultural ties between New Jersey and India. pic.twitter.com/WVXgrV4TpL

— Lt Governor Tahesha Way (@LtGovWay) November 21, 2024

Over those eight days, the trip will include stops in five cities: Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and New Delhi. The delegation will meet with key government and industry leaders in areas such as higher education, life science, technology and more; with a focus on strengthening economic ties, cultivating international investment opportunities, and deepening cultural and educational ties between New Jersey and India.

Strengthening ties

“As Secretary of State, I was delighted to welcome the Commission to my department and have been overseeing efforts to strengthen ties between New Jersey and India,” said Way. “New Jersey’s Indian American population continues to rapidly grow. Through our shared vision, we are committed to maximizing the potential of our relationship.”

“India remains one of New Jersey’s key global partners, and with one of the largest Indian diasporas in the nation, we must continue to strengthen our partnership,” said Bath.

This trip follows one in September 2019 led by Murphy, who became the first sitting New Jersey governor to visit India. That mission, coordinated by Choose New Jersey – focused on fostering economic, higher education, and sister-state ties. The Murphy administration says it resulted in over 1,200 new jobs by expanding the footprint of three Indian companies in the Garden State.

“Following Governor Murphy’s mission, and extensive outreach in the years since, we will continue to grow the relationship through the Commission,” Bath added.

“Building on the success of past initiatives, this mission is a pivotal opportunity to deepen our ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies,” said Mathews. “By expanding our connections with India across a broad range of areas, we aim to strengthen our economy and showcase the strength of our vibrant Indian-American diaspora.”

See also:

A delegation led by Gov. Phil Murphy and organized by Choose New Jersey recently returned to the Garden State after a trip to the United Kingdom. Get the roundup of developments here >>