Gandhinagar: Gujarat seems to be continuing on its path of progress, with the success of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015, being held in Gandhinagar from January 11 to 13.
The presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose brain-child it was to launch the Vibrant Gujarat Summit as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, has given a boost to the Summit this year. His presence eclipsed Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, with the media and all the potential investors clamouring for attention from the Prime Minister.
Chief Minister Patel is bound to be elated by the promise of Reliance Industries Limited Chairperson Mukesh Ambani that the group would invest Rs 1 lakh crore in the state to give a boost to the Prime Minister’s call for Make in India, much to the envy of other Chief Ministers, present there for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
During his entire election campaign Modi had been talking about developing India and to fulfill his promise, he needs to ensure that there is at least balanced, if not uniform development in the country and for this there is a need for setting up of industries all over the country. This is possible if Modi uses his equation with the leaders of industry and the his influence on them to appeal to them to go to states, which are economically backward and where there is tremendous unemployment.
Records of previous investments in Gujarat and Maharashtra show that the ratio of investment to job creation is more favourable to employment in Maharashtra than in Gujarat. This ratio has to improve in other states.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which is also been held in Gandhinagar, has not been of great benefit to other states as yet. Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, the youngest Chief Minister to speak on the dais, made a fervent appeal to the NRIs to come to Maharashtra to invest and assured them that the state has opened its heart to the investors. Fadnavis will have to do better than opening hearts to attract investment in the state.
