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Hospitality of Gujarat : Government to act as a Facilitator
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| Hospitality of Gujarat : Government to act as a Facilitator |
Nothing can give boost to the aspirations of an entrepreneur/investor than an access to concrete, speedy and authentic information. The mode of information dissemination and the usual courtesies associated with it are also equally important at all levels right from grass-root to the apex. Besides, the authorities and the staff at all levels should leave no stone unturned by assuming the role of friends, philosophers and guides by exploiting the technology at its fullest extent.
In order to give a tangible form to the aspirations, the presence of sound infrastructure, encompassing the social and physical dimensions assumes utmost importance. All the facets of physical infrastructure should compete with the best in the world. At the same time, there is an increased sense of realization that development is not a subject confined only to Government.
The representative bodies of Industries should also be empowered to become a partner-in-progress. The Policy would not serve its purpose if it does not bring us closer to the ultimate destination of our pursuit – Enhanced Quality of Life. Basic parameters serving as yardstick to determine the quality of life would be taken into consideration. Education is one of the important aspects leading to the empowerment of an individual to enable him to contribute to the society. An effort will be mobilized in the direction of strengthening linkages between educational institutions and industry.
Gujarat benchmarking with Asian Tiger Economies
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| Gujarat benchmarking with Asian Tiger Economies |
In the backdrop of this situation, the Government of Gujarat has decided to bring out the New Industrial Policy by spelling out its strategies keeping in mind the requirements of the present-day industries to not only strengthen its industrial base but also consolidate the gains achieved all these years in the interest of overall economic development of the state. The state is now determined to lead the rest of the country by emerging as a Model Industrialized State in Asia.
‘સત્ય’ અને ‘ઈશ્વર’ જો ભિન્ન હોય તો હું માત્ર ‘સત્ય’ને વળગી રહું.
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| ‘સત્ય’ અને ‘ઈશ્વર’ જો ભિન્ન હોય તો હું માત્ર ‘સત્ય’ને વળગી રહું. |
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Sound physical
infrastructure with easy availability of key utilities is a dream scenario for
any investor. The state is aware of the fact that at present, the investment in
industry overshoots the investment in infrastructure. While this may offer
faster economic growth in the short run, it might ultimately prove to be
unsustainable.
Therefore, both industry and infrastructure should keep pace
with each other so that the balance of
regional development is not affected. Although Gujarat boasts of a State with
one of the best infrastructure facilities, it is realized that since last a few
years, other states in India have also
speeded up the activity to augment their infrastructure facilities. The state
has therefore, decided to benchmark itself with the quality of infrastructure
available in developed countries and would also ensure that this infrastructure
would be made available to both the industries and citizens at reasonable
tariffs. Thus, to hasten the pace of infrastructure development, the Government
would consider revisiting the existing Vision 2010 document and tailor
the infrastructure projects by adding lucrative features, so as to attract
private sector investment, more specifically the global players. In addition, projects with smaller
financial magnitude may be identified and implemented with the help of private
sector investment immediately. The state would also commission a study
to identify the deterrents if any, coming in the way of private sector
investment in infrastructure projects and remove them immediately.
Development of infrastructure is the top priority on the state agenda.
Information: The Key to Success for any business enterprise
This
is the era of information and awareness. The person who has maximum information
on the subject he deals with will ultimately win amongst all his competitors.
This dictum is true in the case of establishing and managing any business
enterprise. The Government realizes this fact and has thus decided to equip the
new entrepreneurs as well as the existing enterprises with the latest
information available in the relevant fields. A new entrepreneur would require
information right from the stage of selection of a project, market potential,
availability of infrastructure at different alternative locations, Government
assistance and facilitation, economic and social indicators, regulatory
framework governing a particular industry/activity, compliance of laws, pollution
norms, procedural aspects, etc.
At the
state level, iNDEXTb has been functioning to act a single point contact for all
the information needs of an entrepreneur since last over 25 years. The services
of iNDEXTb have been very widely acknowledged by the industrial community not
only in India but also in many parts of the world. The Government now plans to
make available all the relevant information at the district level by installing
information kiosks at important places. In addition, capacity building of the
counseling staff is also envisaged by imparting training. For the purpose, the
Government of Gujarat would like to make extensive use of information
technology at all the levels.
Special Economic Zones : Paradise for Investors
The Government of Gujarat
has recently promulgated ordinances to facilitate setting up of Special
Economic Zones and Industrial Parks. As per the provision of this ordinance,
the responsibilities of management of the Zone and all the permissions under
Single Window to the industrial units coming up in the Zones are vested with
the Development Commissioner of Government of India. In addition, all the powers, duties and
responsibilities for compliance of provisions under various labour laws as
available with Labour Commissioner, have also been delegated to the Development
Commissioner. In order to attract entrepreneurs for investing in the Zones, the
Government has also decided to offer certain incentives. The industrial units
setting up a power plant for his captive requirements would be offered
electricity duty exemption for a period of 10 years.
The units coming up in the
Zone are also exempt from the levy of stamp duty or registration fees on
transfer of land, loan agreement, credit deeds, mortgage documents or any other
contracts. Sales tax, purchase tax, motor spirit tax, luxury tax, entertainment
tax and other taxes are also exempted for the units set up in the Zone. The
Government has also exempted the tax on the supply of raw materials from the
domestic tariff area to the units located in the Zone. In Gujarat, at present,
Special Economic Zones at Kandla and Surat are already in place. The State
Government also plans to set up such SEZs at locations like Dahej, Hazira and
Mundra in the near future, of which permissions for SEZs at Dahej and Mundra
from Government of India have already been received. The facilities being
developed in the Special Economic Zones in Gujarat are going to prove to be
paradise for the investors in the times ahead and as a result, a sizeable
investment is expected to be materialized. At present, this ordinance has been
sent for Presidential accent through Central Government which is expected to be
received soon.
Industries in Gujarat
Gujarat has been the
front-runner in the overall economic development of the country all these
years, as is evident from the fact that with mere 6% of geographical area and
5% of the population of India, the state contributes to 21% of the country’s
exports and 6.42% of the national GDP at constant prices. If the decadal growth
of performance of some of the Indian states vis-à-vis other Asian economies
with that of Gujarat is compared, one gets quite an encouraging scenario. The
industrial growth of Gujarat with a figure of 8.52% could be way ahead of many
Indian states and other Asian Tigers viz. Singapore, Malaysia and Korea.
Flexibility of Labour Laws: A unique feature of Gujarat
Gujarat is one of a very
few states, which has embarked upon the path of labour reforms. The
‘flexibility’ aspect of labour reforms of Gujarat might strengthen its position
as an ideal destination for investment besides other factors, in the coming
years. In addition, initiatives like Self-Certification and Single Business Act
would leave an indelible mark as one of the best in the contemporary
environment. The Government however reiterates its faith in the statement that
– Development should not be at the cost of Environment. At the same time, it
should not be used as an alibi for stalling the developmental pace. An honest
attempt would also be made to organize the agriculture commodities business by inculcating
the element of professionalism and by extensive use of modern technology in the
processing.
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