Eighteen Princely States and
4 Chieftains amalgamated in 1947 to from what is today known as Rajasthan
State. Rajasthan today is the one of the most promising investment destinations
in the country. Besides abundant Land, Well developed infrastructure, peaceful
labour and immense mineral wealth, Rajasthan also offers political stability
with any political party being in power completing the term successfully, and
that too with no trouble at any time during the tenure.
Rajasthan abuts five
major States of India- Punjab, Haryana , Utter Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat, besides a significant portion of it
(about 4500 sq. km. area) falling into the National Capital Region
(NCR). The Land-locked States of northern India access the Ports of Western
Coast through Rajasthan.
The State has a
well-developed Road network of National and State Highways. 21 National
Highways, totaling 7,311 km. as of March 31, 2013 crisscross the States,
thereby connecting it to all major States. The Intra-state road network
comprised States Highways of 10,953 km., major
district of 10.225 km., other district roads of 24,713 km. and village
roads of 1,39,319 km. 81.4% of the inhabited villages are connected by roads ,
as compared to the national average of 65%. Plans are afoot to connect all the
villages by roads shortly.
Rajasthan had a total
railway network spanning 5,784 km. as of March 31, 2011, comprising 4,602 km.
of broad gauge. Rajasthan today is very well connected by trains to all metros,
major cities as well as pilgrimage centres.
Rajasthan presently has
3 commercial airports at Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur. At present, 26 flights
are being conducted from Jaipur Airport which is likely to go up 44 shortly.
Jaipur Airport is being upgraded to accommodate Jumbo 747-400 Series aircrafts.
A new Airport is expected to come up in Kishangarh. Some new Airports are also
being planned.
Rajasthan offers well
developed information and communication facilities. Cellular and landline
services and internet connectivity are available off the shelf across
Rajasthan. A State-wide optic fibre backbone is in place.
A well-developed industrial
infrastructure has been created in the State by the nodal agency, Rajasthan
State Industrial and investment Corporation Ltd. (RIICO) which has developed323
industrial areas on app. 70,000 acre land. The industrial areas include Special
Purpose Industrial Parks for stones, agro-processing, bio-tech, auto
components, leather, IT, textile, apparel, wool and gems & jewellery,
Export Promotion Industrial Parks at Jaipur, Neemrana (Alwar) and Boranada
(Jodhpur), Special Japanese Zone in Neemrana, Special Economic Zones for gems
and jewellery (Jaipur) and handicrafts (Jodhpur) apart from the world class
multi-product Mahindra SEZ at Jaipur, On the lines of Japanese Zone, A Special
Korean Zone is to come up at Ghilot
(Shahjahanpur). A number of private sector industrial areas have also
been developed/planned.
The State presently has
over Rs. 2 lakh crore investment in large and mediam scale industries employing
about 1.80 lakh workers, and about Rs. 20.000 crore investment in small scale
and micro enterprises generating employment to more than 17.25 lakh persons.
Some of the major multinational corporations having units in Rajasthan include
Lafarge, Honda, Genpact, Ericsson telecommunication, Gillette, Bosch &Lomb,
MICO-Bosch, Electrolux Kelvinator, Mitsubishi Chemicals, Mikuni, St. Gobain
Glass, Daikin Airconditioning, Nippon Pipe etc.
Rajasthan is taking
firm steps to augment availability of power for the industrial, commercial ad
domestic consumption. The total installed capacity by March 2013 was 11168 MW
which was expected to go up to 18861 MW by 2014. Some of the 14 power projects
with total installed capacity of 11590 MW which was approved for the 12th
Five Year Plan (2012-2017) including 7750 MW in State Sector and 3840 MW in private Sector, have been already
commissioned and on the remaining projects, significant progress is being made.
The State is also targeting to harness the renewable energy sources (solar,
wind, bio-mass) in a very big way. Very soon, the state would become power
surplus.
Huge oil and gas
reserves have been found in Rajasthan which are being commercially exploited,
with current production of 1.75 lakh barrels per day which is slated to go up
to 3 lakh barrels per day shortly. An oil refinery is also being established
jointly with Hindustan Petroleum Corpn. Ltd.
With about 39% of the
Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) linking Delhi and Mumbai would pass through
Rajasthan, throwing up great opportunities for industrial establishments along
the route in the 150 km band on both sides of the DFC. About 60% of the State’s
area falls within the project area of influence.
Rajasthan is one of the
most picturesque parts of the country and the State is one of the most favoured
tourist destinations of both domestic and foreign tourists. The State is dotted
with rugged forts, beautiful palaces and havelies, lakes, museums, wildlife and
bird sanctuaries, fairs and festivals, colorful culture, soulful music and
delicious cuisine. Tourism accounts for about 15% of State’s GDP. The State
also offers great opportunities for holding conferences and seminars, besides
being a favourable destination for medical treatment as well as religious
tourism.
Starting with a modest
export of just 400 crore in 1990-91, The State now has export turnover of about
40,000. Major items of export include agro and food products, textile and
apparel, gems & jewellery, Handicrafts, dimensional stones, non-ferrous
metals, chemical &allied items, etc.
Rajasthan also has well
developed social infrastructure of schools, colleges, universities, medical
colleges, engineering and technical institutes, hospitals and nursing homes,
banks.
Beside the above
mentioned factors, The State offers polity and good governance, stable
policies, competitive taxation policies, attractive investment incentives, etc.
The present State Government has taken bold initiatives in implementing
modified land acquisition policies, Labour reforms, Factories Act reforms etc.
In fact, the State’s Single Window
dispensation is quite effective and has been given statutory backing by way of
an act of the Legislative Assembly.
Government of Rajasthan
is organizing Resurgent Rajasthan Summit to promote the State as a top
investment destination in the region. The Summit, to be organized on 19-20 Nov.
2015 will be a made of strategic conferences, panel discussions, round table
deliberations, presentation on investment opportunities and one-on-one business
meetings. This event is a focus endeavor to realize the State’s vision of
inclusive growth and long term Industrial development. Restaurants Rajasthan
2015 will bring together investment from all over the world (including CEOS and
big business owners), high-level government officials, international
dignitaries and representatives of foreign missions.
Indo-Canada Chamber of
Commerce may please also join.
Author is Secretary General of Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce
