 "Talk less, work more: MP's investor summit reflects its changed leadership")
Madhya Pradesh’s new Chief Minister (CM) Mohan Singh Yadav declared at the concluding session of the two-day Invest Madhya Pradesh: Regional Industry Conclave in Ujjain on Saturday that he believes in “talking less and working more”.
The fact that the marquee industry event of the state, held for the first time outside Indore, the commercial capital, since its inception in 2007, was not the only change.
Several other additions were made.
Perhaps for the first time, simultaneous groundbreaking ceremonies and formal factory inaugurations were held along with the main summit, conveying the state’s intention to prevent industry conclaves from becoming mere signing ceremonies.
The CM also issued land allotment letters for 508 hectares of land to 283 industrial groups in the state. This move is expected to attract an investment of over Rs 12,000 crore, creating jobs for more than 26,000 people.
Yadav remotely inaugurated 61 units, set up with an investment of Rs 10,064 crore, creating more than 17,000 new jobs in the state.
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Not only this but all the inaugurations and groundbreaking ceremonies were attended by local legislators who joined the main event via video conferencing from more than 20 different locations. This reflected mini-industry meets in their respective constituencies. Their participation aimed not only to give them a sense of ownership but also to prepare for the forthcoming general elections.
This is because the district conclaves also had local participation. Deputy CM and the state’s Finance Minister Jagdish Devda was present in one such ceremony in the Neemuch district of the state, while Water Resources Minister Tulsi Silawat joined in from another district.
In terms of scale, the regional investor conclave was much smaller. In the last Global Investor Summit held in Indore in December 2022, the then CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan claimed that the state had received intention of investment amounting to over Rs 15.42 trillion during the two-day event, creating over 2.9 million jobs in the state. This time, the CM stated that the conclave attracted investments worth over Rs 1 trillion in the state. Of this, Adani Group alone promised investments of almost Rs 75,000 crore.
The number of participants in the regional conclave seemed fewer compared to the previous Global Investors Summit. The fact that it was a regional conclave could have been a reason. In the future, Yadav announced that similar regional conclaves will be held in cities like Jabalpur, Gwalior, and Rewa, not confined to Indore.
Yadav said that by holding investor meets in different cities will help businesses to connect more with the people.
Another notable change was the clubbing of the social sector initiative with the drive to attract investment.
Yadav also launched an air ambulance service for transporting poor patients from remote locations to major hospitals during the occasion. He emphasised that the industry should strive to work for the common good of everyone.
The first-ever investor summit of Madhya Pradesh held after the almost two-decade reign of Chouhan reflected the change in more ways than one.
Yadav said the state government following the path of legendary king Vikramaditya was committed to bring an administration that was sensitive, transparent and answerable to it's citizens.