Rajasthan traders flag land, transportation issues ahead of investor summit

The Rajasthan government is gearing up for a three-day investment summit in December. However, trade and industry bodies say affordable land and transportation for investors will be key in making the event successful.

The ‘Rising Rajasthan’ summit 2024, which will be held on December 9-11, aims to facilitate global investment, innovation, and partnerships in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit on December 9.

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, his deputies Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, and other cabinet ministers, have started to hold road shows in India and abroad.

The state government said it had, till October 1, received memoranda of understanding (MoUs) committing investments worth around Rs 12.55 trillion.

A delegation of the Rajasthan government, led by Industry and Commerce Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, are participating in the Singapore Investor Meet on October 8 and meet dignitaries and top business officials in the country.

Pressing on the need for affordable land and transportation, Federation of Rajasthan Trade and Industry (FORTI) President Suresh Agarwal said the availability of cheap land is the first requirement to promote investment in the state. “If the government succeeds in creating a land bank around the Delhi-Mumbai Freight Corridor, then it will be very good for the state,” he added.

According to him, a long freight corridor in the state will also reduce the transportation cost.

All Rajasthan Trade and Industry Association (ARTIA) Chairman Kamal Kandoi said the present government should direct the collectors to establish industrial land banks in their respective districts. It will help the domestic, foreign, and local investors to set up enterprises.

Arun Agarwal, national vice-president, Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, said that it has become necessary to make lands free-hold for industrial development. Many investors find land expensive in the state.