After Telangana, Maharashtra, now Punjab woos Elon Musk to cradle Tesla hub

moneycontrol.com:

As the standoff over import duties continues between the Centre and Tesla, a number of state governments are apparently trying to outdo each other in rolling out the red carpet for the American electric vehicle manufacturer.

After Telangana and Maharashtra, Punjab appears to be the latest to invite the company. Navjot Singh Sidhu, who heads the state unit of the Punjab-ruling Congress, took to Twitter to invite Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Under the "Punjab Model", said Sidhu, Ludhiana would emerge as the hub for the electric vehicle and battery industry.

I invite @elonmusk, Punjab Model will create Ludhiana as hub for Electric Vehicles & Battery industry with time bound single window clearance for investment that brings new technology to Punjab, create green jobs, walking path of environment preservation & sustainable development https://t.co/kXDMhcdVi6

Sidhu, in his statement on the microblogging site, quoted a tweet of Elon Musk in which he told a netizen that Tesla is facing a "lot of challenges" for launching its vehicles in India.

The netizen, a Twitter user identified as Pranay Pathole, had on January 13 asked Musk: "...any further update as to when Tesla's will launch in India?"

The Tesla boss, who is known for his active use of social media, was prompt in replying: "Still working through a lot of challenges with the government".

Still working through a lot of challenges with the government

Telangana industry and commerce minister KT Rama Rao was the first political office holder in India to respond to Musk's remark. On January 15, he appealed to the Tesla CEO to consider investing in Telangana, which he described as a "top notch business destination in India".

"Will be happy to partner Tesla in working through the challenges to