Haley traveling to India to lure jobs to SC

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Gov. Nikki Haley is leading South Carolina’s first trade trip to India in hopes of persuading companies in her parents’ native country to bring jobs to South Carolina.

The newly re-elected Republican governor leaves Tuesday for a 10-day mission trip involving the state’s commerce and tourism agencies.

It marks Haley’s first visit to India since she was 2 years old. Her parents emigrated from India in the 1960s, before Haley was born in rural South Carolina.

Commerce Director Bobby Hitt says there’s a lot of excitement about Haley’s arrival, and her stature in India should help open doors. Haley is the first woman of Indian heritage to become governor of a U.S. state.

She is slated to attend more than 40 of the delegation’s 90 scheduled meetings and events.