Vasundhara Raje invites Kolkata industry to consider Rajasthan for investment

The Chief Minister is in Kolkata as part of a series of roadshows being held across India and abroad to promote investment opportunities in Rajasthan and the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit, slated to be held in Jaipur on November 19-20.

The delegation from Rajasthan also includes the Minister for Higher Education, Kali Charan Saraf; the Minister for Public Works Department and Transport, Yunus Khan; and Rajeeva Swarup, Principal Secretary-Small Industries and Khadi Gramudyog, Government of Rajasthan.

The Chief Minister held one-to-one meetings with business leaders and senior executives from leading companies.

Raje said, “Rajasthan provides a great opportunity to the investors from Eastern India to expand their business, reliably source material and establish new manufacturing capacities. We invite the captains of industry from this part of the country to participate in the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit.”

She added, “Rajasthan and Kolkata have for centuries shared a very special relationship. We consider this city our home away from home. We are very proud of this close bond between our two states and value it immensely. This linkage has been the reason behind the flourishing commerce and industry in both the states. We hope to develop a more robust partnership by inviting investment from Bengal and the rest of Eastern India, of which this city is the pre-eminent business hub.”

In her speech, the Chief Minister appealed to the sentiment of the Rajasthani diaspora in Kolkata to explore the opportunities in Rajasthan and take advantage of the benefits the state is offering.

Earlier in the day, she visited Apollo Gleneagles Hospital to enquire about the health of Suresh Neotia, Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of Ambuja Cements Limited, who has been ailing for some time. She was accompanied by Mr Harshavardhan Neotia.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajeeva Swarup said, "Rajasthan is committed to achieving sustained industrial growth leveraging its rich resources, skilled manpower, easy land availability and abundant power. We are facilitating the setting up of large, medium and small-scale industrial units in sectors such as automotive, engineering, ceramics, energy, textile and food processing. With an investor-friendly policy framework in place, the time is right for Kolkata-based companies to take advantage of the benefits that Rajasthan offers and explore opportunities there."

Swarup made a detailed presentation on the infrastructure available in the state and the concessions being offered to encourage industrial growth.

A brief film on Rajasthan as an investment destination was also screened.

Sharing his experience of setting up industry in Rajasthan, H M Bangur, Managing Director, Shree Cement said, "My company's decision to set up a manufacturing unit in Rajasthan was strategic - we wanted to capitalise on the presence of large limestone reserves in the state. But our experience was so good that we have expanded to five more locations in Rajasthan.”

Praising the policy environment in Rajasthan, Rear Admiral A K Verma, Chairman & Managing Director, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd., and Chairman, CII Eastern Region said, “The state government has systematically created a policy environment that nurtures private enterprise and makes investing in the state hassle-free.”

The state government plans to organise similar roadshows across India and abroad to invite potential investors, the business community and NRIs to explore investment opportunities in the state and to participate in the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit.