Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday wrote a letter to information technology giant Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai to seek investment in the state, officials said.

CM Rawat also appointed chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh and additional chief secretary, MSME department Manisha Panwar to coordinate on the same, according to officials.

The development came after Google CEO Pichai announced an investment of USD10 billion in India over the next five to seven years.

An official privy to the development on condition of anonymity said, “CM Rawat in his letter to Pichai has urged him to include Uttarakhand also in Google’s huge investment plan for India.”

“In his letter, he stated that there is a need for an alternative development model due to the Covid-19 pandemic in which IT has a very vital role to play. He also said that small cities have vast opportunities in investment for giants like Google. If chosen, the Uttarakhand government will provide every possible help to Google in the state,” said the official.

Informing more about the move, chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh said, “The CM in a proactive manner has made a pitch seeking investment from Google. We believe Uttarakhand is very well suited for it with the kind of advantages the state enjoys.”

Singh added, “As directed by the CM, I and additional chief secretary Panwar will establish contact with the people concerned in Google in this regard. We will help them with whatever information they need or field visits required for investing here.”

Asked about specifying the areas where Uttarakhand is interested in investment from Google he said, “As of now Google has made the announcement for an investment of USD 10 billion and its details are yet to be known. Once we know that, then we will talk to them on the kind of investment they are looking for and we are looking at.”