Set up shop in Telangana, minister tweets to Elon Musk

Telangana industries minister KT Rama Rao has asked Tesla chief Elon Musk to set up shop in the state.

"Hey Elon, I am the Industry & Commerce Minister of Telangana state in India. Will be happy to partner Tesla in working through the challenges to set shop in India/Telangana. Our state is a champion in sustainability initiatives & a top notch business destination in India," Rama Rao tweeted on Friday. The tweet came a day after Musk tweeted that the electric car major is working through several challenges with the union government to launch its products in India.

Last year, Tesla had sought a reduction in import duties on electric vehicles in the country. But the heavy industries ministry maintained that tax concessions can be considered only after the electric car major starts manufacturing its electric vehicles in India.

As no such concession is given to any other auto firm, giving duty benefits to Tesla alone will not give a good signal to other companies that have invested in the country, the union govt sources said.