Press Release
There is a need for increased participation of women in the workforce. If women actively participate, then the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state can grow exponentially. This suggestion was made by Chairperson, PwC in India, Mr. Sanjeev Krishan at the Conference on Making Rajasthan a US$ 350 Billion Economy by 2030 held on the occasion of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Annual Day. While delivering the keynote address, the other suggestions he made were on the need for upstreaming and value addition for the mineral industries that will further enhance the GDP and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Rajasthan. He also highlighted the need for focus on increased steps for sustainability such as more EV charging stations and battery recycling facilities etc.
Talking about the need for an enabling ecosystem of startups, Mr. Krishan said that many of the startup founders come from the local communities of Rajasthan since it is a state with entrepreneurial prowess and abilities but they move to other cities for better opportunities. There is a need to retain them in the state so that the number of startups in Rajasthan can grow.
In his welcome remarks, Chairman, CII Rajasthan State Council, Mr. Abhinav Banthia said that owing to the ‘Make in India’ campaign we will be able to achieve the mark of US $ 350 billion economy. He further highlighted the focus areas for achieving this milestone. Some of these included Employment and Employability, Education and Skill Development, Research & Innovation, Tourism & Medical Tourism, Renewable Energy, Investment and Ease of Doing Business, Enabling Infrastructure, among others.
MD & CEO, AU Small Finance Bank Ltd, Mr Sanjay Agarwal said that in today’s time there is an equal opportunity for everyone. One needs to be aware about their business model, risk and scalability around it. There is a need to challenge ourselves and have bigger inspiration and aspirations. CII can play a pivotal role in bringing this culture in the state. There is a need to put our demand in front of policy makers and the Government should also be mobilized and aligned with the goals of the entrepreneurs, he further suggested.
Chief Executive Officer, Hindustan Zinc Ltd & Executive Director, Vedanta Limited, Mr. Arun Misra said that the Government needs to demonstrate trust in the ability of entrepreneurs and business persons to use the resources of the state to create more wealth, which is the need of the hour. There should be more mining colleges in the state to encourage more entrepreneurs in this field. The need for innovation in tourism, proliferation of modern IT education, social and cultural change are some of the other recommendations he made for achieving the goal of US$ 350 Billion Economy by 2030.
Chairman & Managing Director, Somany Ceramics Ltd, Mr. Shreekant Somany said that MSMEs are the backbone of any economy. He underlined that the biggest hurdle in achieving any goal is mindset change – one needs to grow, imbibe new ways of working and technology. They need to invest in innovation and get out of the owner driven enterprise mindset in order to get into the global supply chain. He further highlighted the need for time bound programmes and initiatives in order for the economy to grow.
Senior Director and State Head of CII Rajasthan, Mr Nitin Gupta was also present on the occasion. Earlier the CII Rajasthan Annual Session was also held.
More than 215 industry members from across Rajasthan attended the conference today.