Jaipur, 16 January. Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje at the special plenary session on ‘Resurgent Rajasthan Gaining Speed’ during the Partnership Summit of CII on Friday called upon the investors to participate in the development of Rajasthan. She said along with labour reforms and introducing policies, various other initiatives have been taken to make Rajasthan an employment and investment friendly state.

While mentioning the peculiar conditions of Rajasthan, Smt. Raje said the state has come a long way and has stood the test of time, but today the state is on a way to becoming one of the leading economies of India. We have to carry this momentum further and continue to build a Rajasthan that creates more employment and products manufactured in Rajasthan proudly display the ‘Made in India’ tag.

Smt. Raje said our mission is to improve Rajasthan’s standing on the global map. Focusing on ‘Skilling Rajasthan’ as part of Prime Minister’s ‘Skilling India’ campaign initiative, the state aims towards achieving triple economic growth rate to 12 percent and creating 1.5 million job opportunities, she said. The Chief Minister said policy reforms are necessary to increase the pace of development and the state government is in the process of engaging knowledge partners to assist in the simplification of the regulatory environment to enable Rajasthan’s transition to a more business friendly economy. She appealed to the investors to participate in PPP and CSR activities.

Smt. Raje invited investors to invest in sectors like MSME, manufacturing, solar energy, electronics and IT Enabled Services (ITES) and defense. Mentioning tourism as the thrust sector, Smt. Raje said that the state government is focusing on developing tourist circuits and promoting village tourism. She said that water is the priority of the state government and efforts are being made to interlink river basins which will be an appropriate solution for the seasonal drinking water crisis. State government’s plan to lay drinking water grids will help in recharge of ground water. She informed that the Bombay Stock Exchange was going to set up a Centre of Excellence in Jaipur which will have a satellite centre in Kota. Apart from this an Incubation Centre will also be set up to promote entrepreneurship in the state, she said.

The Chief Minister said Rajasthan High Court has declined to intervene in the state government’s stand of prescribing minimum educational qualifications for Panchayat Raj representatives by rejecting the stay application. She said it was good that in the last two months 4 lakh toilets have been constructed in the state because of the ordinance passed by the state government to make toilets as one of the eligibility criteria for those aiming to contest Panchayati Raj elections. Following the amendment, the number of toilets which were only 2 lakh have reached to 6 lakh in the last two months. This decision has also given pace to the Prime Minister’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan in the state. “We are taking small but firm steps which will take Rajasthan ahead and everybody will witness difference in the coming times,” she said.

Addressing the special plenary session Industry Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Khimsar said under the leadership of Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhrara Raje the state has taken many policy initiatives which have given pace to the industrialization in the state. Due to abundance of land, proximity from capital of India power and labour availability Rajasthan is becoming the natural choice for investors, he said. Twenty thousand kilometers of Mega Highways from East to West and construction of new Air Strips is going to boost the industrial process in Rajasthan, he added. The Industry Minister informed that the Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry Smt. Niramla Sitharaman has shown interest in setting up a Spices Board in Jodhpur.

Chief Secretary Shri C. S. Rajan informed the investors about the policy decisions taken by the state government to promote investment. Principal Secretary, Industry Smt. Veenu Gupta gave presentation on possibilities and facilities available for investors in Rajasthan. She also gave details about the focus sectors for investment like Automobile, Ceramic and Glass, ITES, Electronics & Hardware, Urban Infrastructure, Solar Energy, Tourism, Road, Health Care and Defense. President Designate of CII Shri Sumit Mazumdar, while welcoming the guests and delegates, said Rajasthan is moving ahead in the charismatic leadership of Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje.

Rajasthan Best Destination for Investment:

During the special plenary session on ‘Resurgent Rajasthan-Gaining Speed’ CEOs of well known multinational companies like Saint Gobain and JCB India had all praise for the development vision of Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje. The top executives of these companies said that keeping in view the cooperation from the state government and business friendly atmosphere, today Rajasthan is the best suitable place for investment.

Vipin Sondhi, CEO of JCB India Ltd. while sharing his experience of setting up a mega plant in Mahindra World City, said the state has positive atmosphere for investment and due to the cooperation the company received from the state government and the bureaucracy, JCB could get all administrative approvals within 45 days to set up plant. The speed of clearances, quick disposal of land related issues, uninterrupted supply of power and availability of talent pool makes Rajasthan the best choice for the investors, he said.

Sharing the Rajasthan story of Saint Gobain Managing Director of Saint Gobain India Ltd. Shri B. Santhanam said earlier Rajasthan was not on the radar of possible destination for setting up their plant but it was due commitment of the officials and their cooperation that persuaded them to select Rajasthan for their project. After signing MoU in August, 2008 in the presence of Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje the Team Rajasthan geared up and there was no difficulty in setting up the plant at Bhiwadi in Alwar, he said.

Shri B. Santhanam said Saint Gobain invested Rs. 1000 crore in Rajasthan but we did not spend a single penny apart from the investment amount. This is the best example of transparency in the system he had ever seen. He said Rajasthan has developed as the portal to North India market and it has added a lot to our talent pool.

Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Govt. of India Shri Amitabh Kant shared his experience of interacting with investors who have invested in the Japanese Zone at Neemrana and Proposed Zone of Korea in Gilot during his Japan and Korea visit. He said Japanese and Korean investors are happy to partner with Rajasthan. If they are happy than any investor from around the globe can invest in Rajasthan easily, he said. He appealed to the investors that, “if they want to come to best possible place with an investor friendly environment, they should come to Rajasthan”. ‘Make in Rajasthan’ is an excellent choice if you really want to ‘Make in India’, he said.