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Virendra Pandit

`Create region-specific committees for export promotion'

Ahmedabad , July 13

Installing a new team of corporate faces in the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, has urged corporate honchos to adopt improvement in social infrastructure as one of their goals to take the benefits of a booming economy to the grassroots of society that could, in turn, further fuel the State's economy.

For the first time, the GCCI has had a corporate makeover with manufacturers and industrialists at the forefront, in place of traders, as the new office-bearers and executive members. They include scions from groups such as Torrent, Adani and Nirma.

Addressing the new-look GCCI, now headed by Zydus-Cadila Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Pankaj Patel, the Chief Minister said here that the State Government has decided to set up 500 village malls and allow those running fair-price shops to sell products other than the essential commodities they are getting from the Government. He also advised GCCI to create region-specific committees for export promotion, and hold its meetings at different places in the State to make it a true representative of Gujarat's entrepreneurial spirit.

The new GCCI team should begin its work with a meeting at Kevadia where the Sardar Sarovar Project is coming up.

Scheme for women

Mr Modi referred to the ongoing upgradation of social infrastructure in the form of the latest health scheme, "Chiranjeev" in which the State Government has entered into memoranda of understanding with private gynaecologists. Under it, he said, the Government pays the doctor expenses related to women delivering a child if she is living below the poverty line. Also, the State Government is providing an insurance cover of Rs 10,000 for mothers dying during pregnancy/delivery.

This scheme was launched as a pilot project in five underdeveloped districts having poor or tribal population. He also asked the GCCI, particularly the pharma companies, to contribute to this scheme, which has been taken note of by the Centre and other States.

Asking the GCCI to become the State's engine of growth with the cooperation of the Gujarat Government and others, the Chief Minister said the State's agricultural income has gone up from Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 28,000 crore during the last five years. This income should now be channelised in the right direction by GCCI.

Global Gujarat

He said the non-resident Gujaratis, who began to migrate abroad five centuries ago, have had a world vision of trade and commerce. GCCI should now take up cudgels on their behalf and evolve international quantity and quality standards to make the dream of a "Global Gujarat" come true.

He said with the State on a development curve, it had now decided to start need-based education and upgrade it for human resource development needed for industrialisation and the setting up of special economic zones.

Referring to the signing of a Protocol in the Astrakhan region of Russia last week, he said the establishment of a petro-university in Gujarat had become imperative in view of the State emerging as the petro-capital of India.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Patel said the average growth of Gujarat's economy in the period 2002-03 to 2005-06 was 9.7 per cent as against the national average of 8.4 per cent. He urged the State Government to review the existing laws related to land and octroi and also the Agricultural Produce Market Act for speedier development of the State's economy and infrastructure, and set up higher educational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). He also urged Mr Modi to set up a think-tank to work out a strategy on how Gujarat could effectively lead India in world economic competition.

More Stories on : Society & Development | Infrastructure | Gujarat | Industry Associations

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