E-Paper
‘Madhya Pradesh is the best destination for investment’
In November, Shivraj Singh Chouhan will complete 11 years as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Hindustan Times spoke to him at his official residence on Saturday.
In November, Shivraj Singh Chouhan will complete 11 years as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Hindustan Times spoke to him at his official residence on Saturday. Excerpts:
What are your major achievements?
We have focussed on inclusive growth of Madhya Pradesh. Being an agriculture economy-based state, there has been emphasis on significant growth in agriculture. But at the same time, industrial growth too has been our priority. This is why if we have achieved tremendous growth rate in agriculture sector, the state has attracted good investment in industrial sector too. We have been winning Krishi Karman award for years even from UPA government time.
Back from the US, are you optimistic about investment in MP?
I had already made it clear that I was not going to the US for any investment. However, since I was there, I took the opportunity to meet industrialists and showcase what MP can offer.
Why is FDI so important for Madhya Pradesh?
Only agriculture cannot meet the requirement of the growing population and the society. Hence, investment is required for inclusive growth of the state and providing jobs to people.
Which sectors are your priorities?
Our priorities are areas such as food processing, IT, textiles, which not only contribute to the growth of the state, but also could ensure jobs to people. We are looking at maximum utilisation of resources. We are working on this and see a great success in it as far as providing employment to the jobless is concerned. A power plant worth Rs 6,000 crore provides jobs to about 200 people only. Since we are power surplus state now, we don’t need any more power plants. Rather, we will prefer industries which provide more employment with less investment and with less land while raising their structures vertically on the land.
Which is more important for the state—agriculture or industry?
For us, both are important. Sixty five per cent of our people are involved in farming. But as I said, agriculture alone cannot fulfill the requirement of people and the state. Industrial growth is as necessary as agricultural growth.
Does Madhya Pradesh have enough infrastructure to attract investments by MNCs?
Madhya Pradesh is the best destination for investment by anyone. As far as overall investment in the state is concerned, we have got Rs 2.5 lakh crore in the past about a year against promises of `5 lakh crore. Every promise may not translate into investment. Even if 20% of the investment proposals materialise, it is good for any state. But we have achieved much more.
There are certain formalities that need to be done after every proposal and it takes time. There are certain investors who make announcements but later back out due to certain circumstances as it happened in the case of Jaypee. But it doesn’t mean that we stop making efforts in this direction.
The recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) portrays Madhya Pradesh in poor light. What is wrong with the state?
Nothing is wrong with us. There was a time when several dreaded dacoits gangs operated in certain parts of the state and later they changed their methods by indulging more and more in kidnappings. People were scared to move out after 5 pm. But we have eliminated all these gangs. Naxalism is confined to a small part of Balaghat district only while SIMI network has been destroyed.
As far as general crime is concerned, there is another way to decrease the number i.e. not reporting them. But we don’t believe in such malpractices and (fudging) numbers. My stern instruction (to officials) is to ensure reporting of every crime. This has helped us have impressive 60% conviction rate vis-à-vis sensitive crimes. We will improve it further. If you compare Madhya Pradesh with Uttar Pradesh, you may find the number of crimes here more, but the fact remains that we have a better law and order situation here.
In the past few years, a new phenomenon has come to light. Students from other states are coming to Madhya Pradesh for higher studies. About 1-1.5 lakh such students stay in Bhopal alone. I don’t blame the students in general, but sometimes a few of them indulge in (petty) crimes such as chain snatching. But this is being effectively controlled.
The state assembly election is scheduled in 2018. What are your top priorities for the next two years?
We have got our vision document and policies in place. We are going ahead and taking decisions as per the vision document and policies. Development in the state is our only focus and concern.
