Resurgent Rajasthan A Great Initiative But Babudom Needs To Change Attitude

The government of Rajasthan is in process of organizing another round of mega event of Resurgent Rajasthan-2015 in November at Jaipur and the entire government administration is all geared up to make it a grand success.

But when a simple reality check is done, it reveals a different story. The policies and incentives to investors lack vision and are out of tune with other states’ policies and incentives. When the state is in dire need of new investments to flow in, then it has to offer something to every investor – be it big or small, whether from India or outside. And the incentives should be much better than what other states offer and such incentives should not be restricted with immediate financial impact as all such policies are made with a longer time frame in mind.

Of late, it has become fashionable for almost every state government to showcase to potential investors, be it domestic or overseas, that their state is a paradise on the earth and investors need not bother of any hindrance, roadblocks, red tape, bureaucratic delays, political interference etc. etc. as if they are the things of some other era. They also promise that the infrastructure in their state is comparable to any advanced country in the world. And those state governments which strictly follow this and actually deliver on the ground, get investment proposals year after year and rest of states are stuck with organizing events only.

But the dream of an investor to do business in Rajasthan, based on such high decibel propaganda on national and international levels and all the show business of making him feel like a royal guest with synthetic smiles and warm welcome, shatters when he first interacts with the investment and promotion bureau or secretariat officials or any such nodal agency. Within no time he understands the ground reality that it is a superficial setup where bottom-to-top no one seems to be even interested in making this huge jamboree kind of event successful. The general attitude one can feel is nothing short of sarcastic “if you want to invest, invest, or you can go to other states”. And to make matters worse, phones are not answered, and mails are not timely responded.

The officers don’t even have the time to talk to investors when they want to meet them to sort out any query about policy or related issues. Such attitude is also confirmed in hush tones by some of the investors who had been here in past also. The officers, it seems, are convinced that whatsoever is done, investors would prefer to go to Gujarat or M.P.

But what this bureaucracy does not realize is that its their own attitude and approach of treating potential the investor so unprofessionally that sets the alarm bell ringing for the investor very early. A investor planning to invest Rs 50 crore or Rs 100 crore or may be a much bigger capital is smart enough to know instantly what lies ahead for him. The entire energy of the bureaucracy is invested in making the event a mega show but the soul, the investor, feels lost and cheated. As we all know, people of Rajasthani origin control virtually almost every possible business and every sector of business in all parts of India and are successfully running mega business empires out of India also. – Cont. @ 16

And what all is needed is a small personal touch, friendly atmosphere, professional approach in understanding the needs of the investor. If that happens the state would be flooded with offers by Rajasthani investors alone. And they would be always ready to invest here, if they find investment policy friendly and officers helpful.

In contrast to this attitude, the neighboring state of Gujarat comes as a fresh breath of air when it comes to hosting such investor meets. Every industrialist or investor is treated royally and every minute details are taken care of. The incentives are more attractively packaged compared to Rajasthan government and in detail worked out. The state is already flooded with industry of every type and the state government need not do any promotional activity to attract investment there, as Gujarat is a dream destination for every industrialist. But still every year they have a successful mega show, incentives are getting better and bigger, bureaucratic procedures and permissions are getting lesser and no wonder Gujarat has emerged as No. 1 destination for doing business and Rajasthan has been left far behind due to unprofessional approach and therefore failed miserably to attract new industry and

investments. But time has come now for the government and its officers to wake up and change their casual attitude and understand very clearly that the days of “SAAB is in meeting” mentality is over and any unprofessional approach would further push Rajasthan out from investment radar of investors in this digitally connected world where decisions are quick and fast. When competition is from Gujarat and MP, the incentives and policies need to be much better, bold and transparent than their policies. Hope the state government takes all necessary corrective steps urgently as the mega event is just few weeks away only.