‘Green horn’ Rajasthan CM attempts a makeover, goes all out for investment summit

19 state cadre IAS officers will be contact points for investors in their respective home states while 23 others will serve as liaisons for foreign investors, to tap into Marwari sentiment

Bhajan Lal Sharma, Bhajan Lal Sharma investment summit, Rajasthan government, Rajasthan CM attempts a makeover, Political Pulse, Indian express news, current affairs

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma

With an aim to brand himself “investment-friendly” and shed the “inexperienced” tag, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has deputed 19 IAS officers of the state cadre to reach out to businesses in their home states and 23 more to reach out to foreign countries.

Sharma’s move comes in the run-up to the Rising Rajasthan Summit, scheduled to be held in Jaipur from December 9 to 11. Sources said the deputed officers will continue to hold their original responsibilities and will additionally serve as contact persons for investors.

In what is expected to be a two-day visit ahead of the scheduled summit, Sharma will be in Delhi later this month to hold discussions with investors. The CM’s visit will be close on the heels of his Mumbai trip, where he held discussions with investors.

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The Rising Rajasthan Summit, which aims at signing of MoUs for potential investments, is the continuation of the Resurgent Rajasthan Summit, conceptualised by former CM Vasundhara Raje in 2015. The Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government too had organised an Invest Rajasthan 2022 Summit in January that year.

“Rising Rajasthan is an ambitious effort of the state aimed at making Rajasthan an investment hub to further growth and employment. We are working in a concerted manner to make it a grand success…. The government has allocated 19 states of India to IAS officers of the Rajasthan cadre belonging to those States for to make it convenient for the investors to come here and invest,” Ajitabh Sharma, Principal Secretary (Industries) said.

Sharma, however, has decided to organise the event within months of assuming the CM’s chair to suggest intent, especially to dispel apprehensions over his functioning. Following the BJP’s victory in the Assembly elections last year, Sharma – a first-time MLA – was the party’s surprise pick for CM, pipping senior BJP leaders like Raje.

On its second day on December 10, the summit will also have a session focused on Pravasi Rajasthanis – businesspersons who have settled outside the state or country but trace their roots to the state – given that members of the Marwari community have emerged as top businesspersons in many cities outside Rajasthan. An MSME and startup conclave is scheduled for the following day.

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“The idea is to make the affluent and enterprising Marwari community, which has an emotional bond with Rajasthan, ‘return’ to the state via investments,” a source said.

The December summit will be preceded by a host of events, including international roadshows in countries like Japan, South Korea, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, UK and Germany, domestic roadshows in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, departmental pre-summits across various sectors like energy, tourism, health, education, urban development, and regional summits across the districts of Rajasthan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, foreign delegates and several CEOs are expected to attend the summit.

Vikas Pathak

Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More