Regional investment summits will prove beneficial for balanced development of states: Shah

Gwalior, Dec 25 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said regional investment summits will play an important role in the balanced development of states in the times to come.

Addressing Abhyudaya Madhya Pradesh Growth Summit in Gwalior, he also said a state cannot progress without a balanced development as there is immense hidden potential in every region.

Shah said structured industrial investment conclaves in the country started from Gujarat, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of the state.

"Under Modi ji's leadership, the tradition of structured industrial summits started for the development of states. Modi ji scientifically initiated the organisation of the industrial summit named Vibrant Gujarat, which was highly successful and also brought investments to Gujarat," the Union Minister for Cooperation said.

In the same way, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav initiated the tradition of regional investment summits for the balanced development of his state, he added.

"In the times to come, such regional investment summits will prove to be very important for the balanced development of states," he said.

Investment-related activities have now begun in all regions of Madhya Pradesh, which will prove beneficial for other states as well.

During the programme, Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation of industrial projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore.

Referring to it, he said this investment of Rs 2 lakh crore may seem small at the first glance, but it is a very big achievement for the particular region.

"For the people of the region, this investment is extremely important. If there is no balanced development in the state, the state cannot progress, because immense possibilities are hidden in every region," he said.

He said that cotton has been a very old agricultural produce of farmers from the Malwa and Chambal regions, but due to not getting proper prices, cotton cultivation came down to a great extent. Now, through the PM MITRA Park, cotton has once again become a profitable crop.

The biggest specialty of Madhya Pradesh is its geographical location. Supplies can be made to half of India from here at very low transportation costs, but its optimum utilisation can happen only when industries are established symmetrically in Madhya Pradesh, Shah noted.

"Industries should be set up in districts bordering southern states, in areas adjacent to Delhi, such as Gwalior, and also in regions bordering the west such as Dhar and Jhabua. Only then, will the benefit of the geographical location be fully realised," he said.

Madhya Pradesh's regional investment summits have laid the foundation for the all-round development of the state, he said. PTI MAS NP