Rajasthan to be developed as model state

State govt, CII sign agreement

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Rajasthan government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) here today with the objective of maximising job creation and giving a boost to gross domestic product (GDP) growth of the state and developing Rajasthan as a model state for investment.

The MoU was signed by Narpat Singh Rajvi, minister for industries, and Rakesh Bharti Mittal, chairman, CII (northern region), and managing director, Bharti Teletech Ltd. On the occasion, the CII and the state government decided to set up a high-level joint task force to promote the growth and development of industry in the state. The task force would be headed by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

The government of Rajasthan has also agreed to set up a joint working group. The working group inter alia would identify the share of Rajasthan in the countrywide projection of 40 million jobs and $200 billion GDP in 2020.

It would also locate potential areas to develop an implementation roadmap to reach the above goal. The following shall be the guidelines: Sharing information on national and international practices and experiences to finalise actionable policy recommendations; developing an implementable model framework; and working together to develop a timetable and present it to the task force for further action.

The chamber has already identified tourism, agriculture, and infrastructure as the main areas for the state's development. Speaking on the occasion, Rajvi said, "It's time to change the way things are being done to facilitate faster economic growth. Signing this MoU is a big leap forward for the overall economic growth of Rajasthan."

Speaking to Business Standard, Mittal said the main purpose behind forming such a task force was to make the state's agriculture and industry more competitive.

He said the CII had requested the state government to introduce legislation on agriculture produce marketing. "This was very much essential to encourage the flow of private investment in the farm sector," Mittal added.

He emphasised infrastructural development and quality education, while looking forward to a greater cooperation between the government and industry to ensure growth with justice.

He said the state government should consider steps to encourage investment in information technology-enabled services (ITES). Mittal was of the view that infrastructure in the state needed upgrade so that tourism could be given a boost.