Hi !
It has been a glorious week in Gujarat. The Vibrant Summit as you know was a grand event. Tremendous positive sentiment and MOU numbers with lots of zeros. It was followed by a beautiful long weekend, being Uttarayan, the annual kite flying time. The sky was full of kites, the air was crisp and cool and the sunshine bright. Lantern formations on kites sparkled in the night skies and the occasional firework embelished the spirit. What a week !
One starts wondering what all this will mean in the near future. The optimism, the interest from investors, the supportive Government and the local energy for growth. For national and multinational companies which will invest here, a supportive administration is a strong factor. Obtaining land, permissions and infrastructure support will be easier. The power situation is stronger in Gujarat than in several other states. There are also plans for setting up new power plants. The road network is good and getting better. Ports are being developed.
To set up an eficient plant however, you need skilled manpower. The lower skilled human resources will possibly come from Gujarat and neighbouring states. Skilled manpower will have to be brought in from other states while local forces are developed. The higher you go on the skill ladder, lower is the availability in Gujarat. This will only change over time as several large businesses bring in skilled resources from elswhere who settle in the state and eventually form a talent pool. There are a large number of people from the state who live and work in Mumbai and other cities, who would be the prime candidates to flock back to the state if they find strong career prospects and a god lifestyle in Gujarat.
It is comfortable to live in Gujarat. You can find a comfortable house at a reasonable price. The infrastructure is good and it does not take hours to get from one place to the other. The city however is still growing up and has to learn a few things, driving being one of them. The traffic police has to learn to manage traffic and enforce rules. There should be more and better schools, colleges and other developmental institutions. Which is again linked to the availaibility of appropriate resources.
As an investor, corporate or personal, it may be a good thing to put some bets on Gujarat. Positive sentiment works wonders in business and investment. If your starting base is low and the pattern of the growth curve is fairly predictable, the only real unknown is the degree of the gradient. A patient investor, one would think, will surely reap his benefits by investing smartly in Gujarat.
Cheers !
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