How is Jharkhand positioned to invite investments
from overseas, especially the NRIs and PIOs around
the world?
Traditionally, Jharkhand has had a strong industrial base
with cheap labour, excellent industrial climate and
adequate skilled and creative workforce. The contribution
of Industries to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is
significant and has increased from 25% to 40% during the
last decade. The state is ideally located in close proximity
of ports e.g. Haldia, Paradeep, Dhamra. It has a wide network of road and rail connectivity besides being
strategically located in the centre of emerging markets
of both east & northeast India, which constitute almost
one-third of the population of the country. The state has
several world-class R & D institutions and reputed
consultancy organisations like the IIM Ranchi, XLRI
Jamshedpur, MECON. Thus, it provides unique
opportunity for the overseas investors.
What are the new investment promotion policies of
your government and which sectors are best placed
to attract overseas investments?
The state has a progressive industrial policy coupled
with an excellent resettlement and rehabilitation policy
and a largely young population of 32.97 million. It
envisages promoting employment-intensive industries
e.g. IT & ITES, Textile, Food Processing and
Bio-technology, Auto and Auto Component industries
besides Tourism with Five Star Hotels / Resorts, Health
Sectors including Super Specialities Hospitals, Medical
Colleges / Para Medical institutions etc. The State is
providing series of incentives for promoting investment
e.g. Comprehensive Project Investment Subsidy (CPIS),
reimbursement of VAT, Luxury tax, Entertainment tax,
Stamp Duty, Registration Charges etc. and financial
assistance for Quality Certification, Patents etc. besides
host of other incentives.
What are the other forms of collaboration/
cooperation that you are looking at for overseas
Indians?
The state is looking for NRI investments and
collaboration in setting up of Industrial Parks or SEZ for
IT & ITES, Industrial Park in Food / Biotechnology,
Pharmaceuticals, Plastic Park, Packaging, Organic Silk
Park, Design and Export of Organic Silk Material,
Automobiles including setting up of Export Oriented
Automobile Components, Clean Coal Technology,
Collaboration with existing industrial groups for
implementing new technologies and innovative
management practices to improve efficiencies. The state
expects to further improve skill and quality of
manpower with world class medical / engineering/
management and skill development institutes.
As many PIOs and NRIs hail from the Bihar-
Jharkhand region, how are you reaching out to them?
The State has become partner of Overseas India
Facilitation Council (OIFC) besides setting up of NRI cell
at Ranchi and taking help of Chamber of Commerce and
Industries Association of Jharkhand and Overseas. We
are regularly participating in overseas exhibitions and
industrial fair like the Hannover/Hemtextle. We also
regularly participate in events in the United States,
Canada, Germany, South East Asia, China, Australia &
Europe. Assocham India is acting as partner in
organizing investors’ meet in India and abroad. I had
visited Germany (Hannover-Hamberg-Berlin-Munich)
and interacted with Berlin Chamber of Commerce and
Industries, Hannover Chamber of Commerce,
representatives of BMW/Siemens etc. Besides visiting
New York, also interacted with the USIB (US India Business), OST and Port Authority, students in
Columbia University, representatives of Huglus network
system and USIBC (US India Business Council)
members. I also met with the ICCC (the Indian Chamber
of Commerce Canada) in Toronto during my recently.
What potential do you see for developing Tourism by
NRIs and PIOs to your state?
Our state is blessed with a very good climate and places
of scenic beauty including a number of falls, besides the
places of religious worship such as Parasnath, Deoghar,
Itkhori etc. for Jains, Hindus and Buddhist respectively,
which have the potential to be converted into tourist
resorts. The tourist inflow in the state has been
increasing at 12-15 % annually. Besides domestic
tourists, numbers of international tourists have also
gone up. The State has airports at Ranchi, Jamshedpur,
Bokaro, Dumka, Dhanbad etc. Few more airports at
Deoghar, Palamau and Hazaribag are being developed.
These air taxi facilities will promote religious tourism,
eco-tourism, mine-tourism and rural-tourism. The
NRIs may also set up a Medicity in Ranchi and
Hazaribag to link tourism with health care. They may
also invest in quality Star Hotels and Resorts.
What about the social sector collaboration with
overseas Indians and Jharkhand government? How
can overseas NGOs help in social development of
your state?
The state has Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for higher
education and technical education at 7.53%, which is
low compared to the national average of 15%. With a
view to enhance the ratio, the state intends to establish
about 200 new technical institutions for offering
Diploma, Degree and Post Graduate courses. These
institutions can be developed as private institutions, or
as PPP ventures. Although a number of private technical
institutions have come up in the State in recent past these
are still not adequate. Infrastructural facilities of three
engineering colleges at Ramgarh, Chaibasa and Dumka
and a Polytechnic at Silli have been created by the state
government and are ready to be operated under PPP
mode provided necessary supporting facilities in the
form of teaching faculty, non-teaching technical and
non-technical manpower, laboratory facilities including
testing, and scientific equipments etc. are provided by
the willing PPP partner to make it operational. Besides
this skill development activities in a number of diverse
fields can be started.
What are your projections for promotion of
Jharkhand in 2012?
The state has taken up intensive investment of about
35% of total plan expenditure in infrastructure e.g. road,
power and water resources besides promotion of
academic and training institutions with projected
growth of 12% during financial year 2011-2012. It is
expected to improve employment opportunities in rural
area besides enhancing the level of income and quality
of life of rural people in Jharkhand.