Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Saturday that there is a slowdown in the country's economy and the Centre should take effective steps to deal with it.
He said there was a period of recession in the world some years back which also had an effect on India, by the then government under prime minister Manmohan Singh took effective steps and "kept the country's economy strong".
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating a hostel of the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewelery in Sitapura here, Gehlot said, "The country's economy is going through a slowdown. Businesses are at a standstill. The auto sector alone has lost 1 million jobs. Investment has been affected due to an atmosphere of fear and violence."
"In such a time of slowdown, it is the responsibility of the Central government to take effective steps to improve the economy," he said. Gehlot claimed that there has been a dip in Goods and Services Tax collection across the country and it is also adversely affecting the states.
Rs 7,000 crore, including the amount of state grant for Rajasthan, has not been received from the Centre which is hampering development works, the chief minister said. Gehlot said the Rajasthan government was making all efforts to promote investment in the state.
"The state government is working to making the single-window system more effective and an investment incentive policy will also be brought soon, he said.
The chief minister said that the role of the opposition in democracy is important and governments takes the opposition along, but "that is not the situation today". "Disagreements have their place in democracy, but today efforts are being made to suppress the voice which disagrees with the policies and decisions of the government," he said.
