Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has joined the competition among various states to attract investment, promising a resurgence of opportunities in the state.
At the Confederation of Indian Industry or CII Partnership Summit being hosted in Jaipur, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' an entirely new twist, calling upon investors to 'make in Rajasthan'.
"Why should our youngsters go outside (for jobs)? Let industry come here, let job creation happen here. Let Rajasthan be not just a state famous for tourism but also a place where there is great investment and very good skills," she said.
No great announcements about investment projects have been made so far at this summit, which ends on Saturday.
But the state government did use the opportunity to pitch for an image makeover before the representatives of the 50 nations that participated in the event.
Neighbouring Gujarat and West Bengal have already held their own versions of investor summits, Vibrant Gujarat and Global Bengal Summit, earlier this month
Already famous as a major tourist destination, Rajasthan now wants to be seen as a state that is strategically placed between Delhi and Mumbai, and is willing to provide all the impetus required for industrisalisation.
But it has tough competition from states like neighbouring Gujarat, which has been hosting its flagship Vibrant Gujarat investor summit since 2003.
Gujarat has the advantage of port cities; Rajasthan, meanwhile, seems to be pinning its hopes on the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor, 40 per cent of which will pass through the state.
The corridor could help push development, especially in the state's southern region, as so far investment has been concentrated around the Delhi NCR region in the north.
But investors like JCB -- makers of earth moving equipment -- and Saint Goban Glass said competition between states to attract investment was helping business partnership.
"The action happens in the state, the investment happens in the state, so competing for investment is the best way to make it viable," said Vipin Sondhi, Chief Executive Officer of JCB, which recently opened a plant in the Mahindra Special Economic Zone area, 10 kms south of Jaipur.
But the true test of these investor summits will be to see how much of it actually translates into investment on the ground.
Since Ms Raje began her second term as Chief Minister in Rajasthan, she has taken some bold measures.
She put an end to popular welfare schemes of the previous Congress government and simplified labour laws. The state government also has a Land Acquisition Bill in the pipeline that will reportedly make it easy for the government to acquire land for industrial development.
At the Confederation of Indian Industry or CII Partnership Summit being hosted in Jaipur, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' an entirely new twist, calling upon investors to 'make in Rajasthan'.
"Why should our youngsters go outside (for jobs)? Let industry come here, let job creation happen here. Let Rajasthan be not just a state famous for tourism but also a place where there is great investment and very good skills," she said.
But the state government did use the opportunity to pitch for an image makeover before the representatives of the 50 nations that participated in the event.
Advertisement
Already famous as a major tourist destination, Rajasthan now wants to be seen as a state that is strategically placed between Delhi and Mumbai, and is willing to provide all the impetus required for industrisalisation.
But it has tough competition from states like neighbouring Gujarat, which has been hosting its flagship Vibrant Gujarat investor summit since 2003.
Advertisement
The corridor could help push development, especially in the state's southern region, as so far investment has been concentrated around the Delhi NCR region in the north.
Advertisement
"The action happens in the state, the investment happens in the state, so competing for investment is the best way to make it viable," said Vipin Sondhi, Chief Executive Officer of JCB, which recently opened a plant in the Mahindra Special Economic Zone area, 10 kms south of Jaipur.
Advertisement
Since Ms Raje began her second term as Chief Minister in Rajasthan, she has taken some bold measures.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Rajasthan Government Orders Probe Into Last 5 Years' Job Recruitment Scams Rajasthan Paper Leak 'Kingpins' Made Crores, But Money Wasn't Only Motivation My Guarantee That India Will Be Among Top 3 Economies: PM Modi Indian Airports, Borders On Alert As Global Mpox Cases Rise: 10 Points Finances Of Kolkata Hospital During Ex-Principal's Tenure Under Scanner "My Intention Was To...": Sudha Murty Clarifies Raksha Bandhan Post Biden To Pass Torch To Kamala Harris At Democratic Convention: 10 Points US Approves $3.5 Billion Sale Of Military Helicopters To South Korea Watch: Rahul Gandhi Takes An Uber To Share Plight Of Gig Workers Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.