Rajasthan has stepped up its pitch for industrial investment from Kolkata’s Rajasthani business community, with a minister and senior bureaucrats urging entrepreneurs to contribute to the state’s development ahead of Pravasi Rajasthan Diwas on December 10.
The outreach was organised by the Rajasthan Foundation, a state government-linked body that works to connect the Rajasthani diaspora with development initiatives in the state. The foundation’s Kolkata chapter brought together business leaders, industry representatives and officials as Rajasthan presented itself as an expanding destination for industrial and infrastructure investment.
The appeal draws on a long commercial relationship between Rajasthan and Bengal. Rajasthani merchants have been part of Bengal’s business networks for nearly two centuries and played a significant role in the growth of colonial Calcutta as a centre of commerce, trade and finance.
Harshavardhan Neotia, chairman of the Bengal Ambuja Group, highlighted Rajasthan’s infrastructure development over the past decade. The Neotia family originated in Ramgarh in the Shekhawati region and moved to Calcutta in the late nineteenth century. Neotia said the family still retained an ancestral home in Rajasthan, which is being converted into a boutique hotel.
Sanjay Budhia, managing director of Patton Group, described Kolkata as the community’s place of work and Rajasthan as its place of origin. His father, H.P. Budhia, was born and raised in Ratannagar in Rajasthan’s Churu district and moved to Calcutta in the late 1970s through Assam.
The investment pitch is linked to the second edition of Pravasi Rajasthan Diwas, which is scheduled to take place in Jaipur on December 10. Rajasthan’s minister of state for industry and commerce, K.K. Vishnoi, said this year’s event would be larger than the first edition and urged members of the business community to participate in the state’s development.
The inaugural Pravasi Rajasthan Diwas, held last year, attracted participation from across the world and resulted in investment deals in sectors including infrastructure, tourism and energy, according to the information shared at the Kolkata meeting. The Confederation of Indian Industry is a partner for the upcoming summit.
Rupak Barua, chairman of the CII’s West Bengal State Council, praised Rajasthan’s development and acknowledged the contribution of the Rajasthani community to Bengal’s economy. Ritwik Surolia, secretary of the Calcutta chapter of the Rajasthan Foundation, said the community’s experience, enterprise and business networks could support Rajasthan’s economic development.
B. Sumant, executive director of ITC, also discussed the group’s investments across sectors in Rajasthan. The Kolkata meeting did not specify new investment amounts, project locations or implementation timelines. The next formal opportunity for the state to seek commitments from its diaspora will be Pravasi Rajasthan Diwas in Jaipur on December 10.
