Apex industries body ASSOCHAM has proposed a seven-point growth agenda to the political parties in Madhya Pradesh for inclusion in their respective election manifesto for upcoming Assembly polls in the State with a view to create consensus on certain significant economic issues to achieve double digit growth during the next decade.
“Rural development, women empowerment, employment generation, healthcare development, education and skill development for job-oriented growth, infrastructure development through public private partnership (PPP) mode, cluster based development approach industrial growth and development are significant areas focus on which can transform the economy of MP,” according to a paper titled ‘ASSOCHAM Suggestions for Election Manifesto of Political Parties in Madhya Pradesh,’ released by Anil Agrawal, co-chairman, Madhya Pradesh Development Council of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and DS Rawat, national secretary general, ASSOCHAM at a press conference held here in Bhopal today.
The ASSOCHAM has submitted its paper to all major political parties in MP - BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party), INC (Indian National Congress), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and others. In its paper, ASSOCHAM has earmarked primary issues concerning MP under various headings - governance, infrastructure, livelihood, energy, economic, ecological and state security.
“People friendly policy reforms to induce transparency and boost investor confidence to lure new investments, better co-ordination between intelligence and security agencies, police reforms to strengthen law and order, providing adequate employment opportunities to youth, promotion of self-employment and self-help groups, poverty and malnutrition eradication through better education,” are certain key governance-related issues highlighted in the ASSOCHAM paper.
On the employment generation front, ASSOCHAM has suggested the State to strengthen unorganized sector which employs over 90 per cent of the workforce, create favorable conditions for private sector participation in employment generation, promoting non-crop activities like poultry, dairying, fisheries, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandary holding more employment generation scope, strengthen self-employment and entrepreneurship programmes, skill development, nurturing vocational guidance and entrepreneurship spirit amid youth.
There is a need for the State to develop quality healthcare system ensuring easy affordability and accessibility, attract private sector to invest and perk up healthcare infrastructure, provide medical insurance facilities to poor people in backward zones, provide better equipment and ensure availability of drugs at affordable rates, highlighted the ASSOCHAM paper.
As rural areas account for major part of state populous, MP needs to take urgent initiative and measures for rural development by attracting investments to improve rural infrastructure, agricultural research and development and for this the State needs to implement transparency and accountability amid its agencies.