Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has called upon the Non-Resident Rajasthanis (NRRs) settled in Gujarat to contribute in making the State a global gems and jewellery hub. Mr. Sharma said Rajasthan was poised to become a 350 billion U.S. dollar economy and had an investment-friendly environment.
Mr. Sharma was addressing a Pravasi Rajasthani Meet at Surat in Gujarat on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) in the run-up to the first Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas to be observed here on December 10. The day, to be hosted along with the ‘Rising Rajasthan’ partnership conclave, will strengthen the State’s ties with the global Rajasthani diaspora and harness their expertise across key sectors.
The Chief Minister said Surat and Rajasthan shared a “common spirit” of entrepreneurship, creativity, and perseverance. “Surat is world-renowned for diamond cutting and synthetic textiles, while Rajasthan is famous for coloured gemstones, kundan, meenakari, textiles, and handicrafts,” he said.
Mr. Sharma said the relationship between Gujarat and Rajasthan was not limited to geographical proximity alone, but there were immense possibilities for economic, cultural and social cooperation between the two States. Besides the gems and jewellery sector, the proposed petrochemical complex in Rajasthan would offer vast opportunities, he said.
The Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas would connect the NRRs with their motherland and enable them to extend the benefit of their entrepreneurship to the State, Mr. Sharma said. He said the State government would confer the ‘Pravasi Rajasthani Samman Award’ every year on the NRRs making outstanding contributions in science, business, art, sports, literature, cinema, music, and social service.
The Chief Minister said the State government would extend full support to the investors for establishing global capability centres and data centres. “An institutional framework has been created to strengthen engagement with NRRs, and as many as 26 chapters of the Rajasthan Foundation are active across India and abroad at present,” Mr. Sharma said.
The State government is also planning to establish a dedicated department to further strengthen its engagement with NRRs. Mr. Sharma said this initiative would ensure active participation of the global Rajasthani diaspora in the State’s development and creation of “Developed Rajasthan-2047”. The Rajasthan Foundation is the State’s nodal department for diaspora outreach.
Mr. Sharma also referred to the State’s investor-friendly policies, pointing out that the government had introduced and amended more than 20 new policies to create a progressive business ecosystem. “Under the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme-2024, investors have received subsidies of over Rs.1,400 crore during the last one-and-a-half years,” he said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel and Rajasthan Foundation’ Surat chapter president Shyam Rathi were among those who attended the Pravasi Rajasthani Meet.
Published – October 10, 2025 04:32 am IST
