Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in Spain for Trade & Football Ties

Spread love

Hemant Soren Leads Delegation for 9-Day Spain, Sweden Visits

By Amit Kumar

Ranchi, April 19, 2025: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren arrived in Barcelona on Saturday in his first leg of nine-day-long two-nation tour. After winning the Jharkhand Assembly elections, Soren has embarked on his first foreign visit to attract investments for the state.

“The delegation led by CM has engagements with Indian diaspora entrepreneurs, Spanish dignitaries, and key meetings with Barcelona Trade body and FC Barcelona for future collaborations,” said the Indian embassy in Spain in a post on X.

Soren’s first engagement is with Fira de Barcelona, Barcelona’s premier trade fair institution. It is recognized as one of the largest and most significant in Europe.

Its activities generate an estimated €4.7 billion economic impact and create over 35,000 jobs in Barcelona and its surroundings, said a note on the trade body by local media outlets.

Soren has another scheduled engagement with FC Barcelona, the famous football club. The Jharkhand Chief Minister is likely to seek collaborations with the football club for the state. However, Jharkhand is widely known for a talent pool of hockey players and the state is not famous for major football interests.

The two nations European visit of Soren has come within weeks of Jharkhand unveiling the state Budget. Jharkhand is battling mounting debts while the state is exploring pathways to improve own revenue.

Jharkhand recently held a roadshow in Kolkata to promote tourism in the state. The Soren-led delegation is also likely to gain attention of Spain and Sweden for the tourism potential of Jharkhand. India has close relations with both Spain and Sweden. A large number of tourists from the two nations visit India.

Besides, India and Sweden have deep collaborations in areas of clean energy technology. Jharkhand Chief Minister in his meetings with Swedish hosts is likely to seek cooperation in clean technologies in mining.

Soren is leading an 11-member delegation to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and foster industrial growth in the state. The visit aims to showcase Jharkhand’s potential in sectors like steel, mining, energy, and agriculture, while exploring partnerships in green technology and advanced manufacturing.

The delegation consists of Soren’s wife and Gandey MLA Kalpana Soren, Chief Secretary Alka Tiwari, and Industries Secretary Arwa Rajkamal. The delegation will also visit Gothenburg, Sweden, on April 25 for discussions on clean energy. Ironically, the state’s Industries Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav is not part of the delegation.

Follow The Raisina Hills on WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn