Jaitley seeks Centre-state co-operation on reforms

IANS/KolkataFinance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday called for co-operation between the central and state governments on development issues.His appeal came in the backdrop of West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress party taking the lead in parliament to block several economic reforms.Jaitley, in his address at the Bengal Global Business Summit here, reminded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that just like her regime, the Bharatiya Janata Party also had a responsibility to deliver what it had promised to the electorate.“Madam chief minister, you have a mandate to rule the state. And, therefore, you have the responsibility to deliver what was promised. We have a mandate to rule the country from the Centre. We have a responsibility to deliver from Delhi what we had promised,” the finance minister said.“Notwithstanding our political differences in many areas, the strength of India is that despite these differences, Indian remains a strong federation of states.“As a strong federation of states, India continues to grow with the co-operation of the Centre and the states. In all areas where the states want to prosper, we are here to fully support you,” Jaitley said.The Trinamool Congress had spearheaded the opposition’s protests against the central government’s bid to pass the Insurance Bill and the Coal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.The minister’s speech dwelled on development, investment and economy, with particular reference to West Bengal, but simultaneously it was also loaded with subtle criticisms and messages directed at Banerjee’s government.Regretting that many of the big industries, which operated from West Bengal for ages, had now shipped out, Jaitley said the challenge was how to re-establish the eastern state as an industrial centre.He took on state Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra, who earlier in the day, highlighted that the state’s growth figures were double than that nationally. Jaitley pointed out that the share of manufacturing in the state’s growth was small which affected job creation.“While talking of encouraging growth figures of the state, we must not lose sight of reality that the share of manufacturing in the state’s growth is still on a very narrow base,” he said. “It is the manufacturing which is going to create jobs. It is manufacturing in which people are going to shift from the underemployment in the agriculture sector into the manufacturing sector.”Jaitley said an investor would choose the state or region which gives him the best deal, “where doing business is comfortable... doing business is conducive, purposeful and profitable.”He also called for cutting down of red tape, easy grant of permissions and sanctions and negligible loss of man-days, besides good quality and modernised infrastructure.“I am sure, while Bengal today makes a very strong plea, and a very legitimate plea for investment into the state, which I am sure is coming to the state, and should come to the state, we have to bear in mind in each of these area we have to grow.”Earlier Banerjee said her government was expecting an investment of over Rs1 lakh crore from the two-day summit that began yesterday.“Wait for tomorrow, the documents itself will speak for themselves. We are hoping for an investment of over Rs1 lakh crore during the summit,” Banerjee said the sidelines of the event.Describing the summit as “positive and constructive throughout,” the chief minister said several companies have pledged to pump in money into the state.She referred to the SAIL announcing an investment of Rs40,000 crore, and said a Memorandum of Understanding will be inked for a deep sea port at the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district.Godrej Group chairman Adi Godrej said West Bengal has exhibited the highest acceleration of consumer goods growth in the last three months and the there has been an improvement in ease of doing business in the state.“Highest acceleration of consumer goods growth in the last three months has been in eastern India and most so in Bengal,” Godrej said at summit.He lauded the efforts of state government for improving ease of doing business.“Well done CM of Bengal for improving the ease of doing business in Bengal,” said Godrej.