NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Come February 1 and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in Manhattan will witness a rare scene of multitudes pouring in to claim friendship with Madhya Pradesh, interestingly just less than two weeks before the day of friendship and love-Valentine’s Day.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh  is coming all the way from Bhopal, India  to launch his ambitious project ‘Friends of MP’.

Chauhan’s principal secretary, S. K. Mishra is camping in the city to ensure that a sizable crowd is gathered to listen to the Chief Minister on a Sunday morning.

“Friends of MP” is a web portal, which invites people with and without their roots in MP, to post their ideas for engaging in a variety of projects aimed at development of the state, economically, cultural and philanthropically.

In preparation for the momentous event, Mishra along with the Consul-General Dnyaneshwar Mulay, on January 15, addressed a gathering of representatives of cultural and social organizations as well as business professionals about the goals of the initiative launched for promoting Madhya Pradesh. They pointed out that launching of ‘Friends of MP’ portal was inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who recently asked all states of India to build their intellectual resources scattered around the world. “Madhya Pradesh wants to be the first state to have realized the goals set by the prime minister of India.”

The organizers are hoping that a huge crowd will assemble on Sunday, February 1, at Avery Fisher Hall in the Lincoln Center complex at 10 am where MP’s chief minister will inaugurate the MP Conclave and unveil the web portal for the public.

Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay, and Mishra said that Mrs. Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Industry Minister, and other senior officials will accompany Chief Minister Chauhan during his US visit. Chauhan is expected to meet with leading industrialists and businessmen for soliciting foreign investment in his state.

Mishra pointed out that the ‘talent pool’ will serve as a forum where ‘friends’ could share original ideas about improving the lives of people in MP.

Initially it will cover education, health, skill development, rural development and tourism sectors, which will be expanded in course of time to include other areas.