Union Home Minister Amit Shah has appealed to industrialists in Gujarat to expand their businesses in the northern part of the country, and Jammu and Kashmir in particular.
"I would like to tell Gujarati industrialists, in case they want to expand towards the north, then please invest in Kashmir. By doing so, please support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative in mainstreaming Kashmir," Shah said, addressing the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, with Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha in the audience.
Using the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit as a platform, Sinha also made a similar appeal to investors to visit and participate in the growth journey of the Union Territory.
Sinha said he has signed as many as seven MoUs for investment in Jammu and Kashmir. Emmar Group is developing a ten lakh square feet area in the Union Territory, with UAE-based Lulu Group set to take two floors for a retail mall.
"The condition of Jammu and Kashmir has changed a lot in the past four years. The New Industrial Scheme which the government of India has made for investment in J&K, so I would like to say that today the highest incentive is being generated from here (because of this scheme). Poverty is also less in J&K," Sinha said.
Ever since the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, the central government has been looking at bringing in big-ticket investments in the region which has seen decades-long militancy.
Coming back to Amit Shah, he contended that the Vibrant Gujarat model has been replicated and accepted by various states across the country.
Many states have followed Gujarat's industrial model, Shah said.
"India has become the best place to invest at a global level. And in India, the best destination to invest is our Gujarat," he said. "Gujarat is the gateway to Viksit Bharat (a developed India by 2047). It is our duty to keep the trust intact."
Speaking of Gujarat, he made particular mention of Gift City and Dholera Smart City, which have emerged as the two prominent growth engines of the state's industrialisation over the two decades.
"The way Modi ji has made Gujarat a policy-driven state, and Bhupendra bhai has taken it forward, I believe investors from across the globe will like to invest in India."
Further, Shah also asserted that India's space sector has the potential to expand. Citing a survey, he said the country's space sector industry to poised to rise from USD 9 billion now to USD 40 billion before 2040. (agency)
