mobile
Tourism & Hospitality
 
CII Media Releases
 
Rajasthan has stood the test of time and is poised to become a leading economy within India: Vasundhara Raje
Jan 16, 2015

We are committed to making Rajasthan a business-friendly State and have taken several steps in that direction, said Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan at a Special Plenary Session at The Partnership Summit in Jaipur on January 16, 2015. The Partnership Summit is jointly organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, and the Government of Rajasthan.

 

With a view to encouraging investments into the State, the Chief Minister spoke of a slew of measures undertaken in areas such as policy, infrastructure, labour among others. She said the State Government is committed to simplifying and rationalizing regulations and laws, and especially mentioned the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme launched in 2014, and the reforms in the Labour Laws, as measures that would boost investments. In fact Rajasthan’s reforming Labour Laws is seen as a step worth emulating by other States also. As testimony to the State’s attractiveness as an investment destination, the Chief Minister spoke of JCB, Saint Gobain and Honda as three multinationals which have huge investments in the State. Moreover, the Koreans have also expressed interest in investing in the State, and Rajasthan will soon engage with the Bombay Stock Exchange to set up a Centre to impart training in financial skills. The Minister emphasized that partnership between the Central Government, the State Governments and industry will be critically important to accelerate India’s growth and development.

 

Earlier, Minister for Industries, Government of Rajasthan, Gajendra Singh Khimsar spoke of the locational and other advantages that the State offers such as abundant land; proximity to India’s capital; the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor passing through the State; abundant labour; ample power; diversity of products – textiles, cement, glass, agro-based products, leather goods and geographical and cultural richness which offers huge tourism potential. He mentioned that the State has already initiated several reforms in laws and regulations and is working on a new industrial policy to further facilitate investments. He said that with the CM emphasizing skill development, Rajasthan will be one of the few states to offer abundant skilled labour, good infrastructure and regulations and laws that promote Ease of Doing Business. He mentioned the Rajasthan Solar Policy and the announcement of building 20,000 kms of mega highways that will be like a shot in the arm to boost industry.

 

Elaborating on investment opportunities in Rajasthan, Veenu Gupta, Prinicpal Secretary – Industries, Government of Rajasthan said Rajasthan offers the basics required for industrial development – infrastructure, labour, land, educational institutions which produce quality manpower. She mentioned how RIICO encourages investments and provides industrial infrastructure, especially for sector-specific industrial areas such as IT Parks. Rajasthan, she said, is the first state to have a country-specific zone (Japan) with more countries evincing interest in this. Among sectors with good investment potential, she mentioned automotive; ceramic and glass; IT; ESDM; Solar; Defence; Urban Centres and Tourism. She mentioned that the State Government is looking at PPP as an excellent model to realize the potential that Rajasthan offers.

 

Mr Amitabh Kant, Secretary, DIPP, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, said that the key challenge for India today is to find ways to accelerate India’s growth rate to 9/10 per cent over an extended period of time, which can be achieved with the active participation of States. He praised Rajasthan saying it is a State focused on reforms and enhancing ease of doing business and said that amongst Indian States, Rajasthan has taken the lead in terms of reforms and delivering on its commitments. He said that Rajasthan offers tremendous potential, and will be the solar capital of India, urging investors to focus on Rajasthan if they wanted to create wealth.

 

Sharing their experiences as investors in the State were Vipin Sondhi, Chairman, CII National Committee on National Goods and Engineering and MD and CEO, JCB India Ltd and B. Santhanam, Chairman, CII Task Force on GTC 100, President- Flat Glass, South Asia, Malaysia, Egypt and MD, Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd who vouched for the efficient and transparent systems and the industry-friendly policies that the State offers to investors.

 

Earlier in his welcome address, Mr. Sumit Mazumder, President – Designate, CII stated that the state of Rajasthan had immense potential for investors. Rajasthan accounts for 10.4% of the country’s geographical area, but only 5.7% of the population. It is the eighth largest state economy in the country, and accounts for around 4.4% of the country’s GDP in 2012-13.

 

Jaipur

16 January, 2015

Email to a friend   Print
Download CII App:
App Store Google Play