There is no doubt at all that Madhya Pradesh is a State that has not really lived to its potential until now. It has so many advantages, it has mineral wealth, it has agriculture wealth, it is so large and borders with so many states. This should be and I think it will be the foremost state in India. You can have all the wealth, you can have everything, you can have all kinds of natural advantages but you must have a leader who can take it to heights, that is the advantage of Madhya Pradesh. You have a true leader, who understands the potential, who has a vision, who acts very swiftly.
The above remarks were made by 74-year-old N Srinivasan, MD of India Cements limited at the recently concluded Magnificent Madhya Pradesh Investors’ Summit in Indore. Srinivasan pressed on a fact that had been lying in the depths for years that the state of Madhya Pradesh has enormous potential but has not been really able to turn those into assets for the economic, social and futuristic development.
Being a seasoned entrepreneur, he said it simple and clear that what the state of Madhya Pradesh needs is a dynamic, futuristic and visionary leader who can drive Madhya Pradesh for the times to come. In Mr Kamal Nath he saw the qualities of a strong driver. For some it may be an exaggeration or a long shot but for those who have observed his captaincy of almost half a decade may well agree that Madhya Pradesh is actually blessed to have leader with them that has eminent presence from Bhopal to Delhi to New York and to Davos.
His thinking of a better future is immaculate in every field that the idea goes to the base and strengthens the roots. He does not consider the debt waiver of farmers as the solution to improve the situation in the agricultural sector. He considers it a relief that helps the farmers to move forward or become stress free. To upgrade the agricultural sector, he clearly believes that it is impossible to bring a smile on the face of farmers unless we use the increased production of farmers to double their income. When he became the Chief Minister and within two hours decided to waive the debt of the farmers, he does not pat his own back that he waived the debt of 20 lakh farmers and will forgive the debt of 18 lakh farmers in the coming days. With the loan waiver, starts the concern of linking their farming with income. As a chief minister, the slabs of the electricity bill fixed by him, not only brought relief to the pockets of the people but this step is a unique example of his better thinking for the future in terms of energy conservation. He took a revolutionary decision to free the tribal society from the debt of the moneylenders, and decided to give 27 percent reservation to the backward. In eleven months, big decisions were taken and implementation was also started. This man does not make announcements, he says ‘I execute’ and has already made a turnaround for the future Madhya Pradesh.
His thinking on policies is innovative. He says that only those policies are successful, which attract investment or someone else and helps them. Results are not achieved just by forming a policy. The success of “Magnificent Madhya Pradesh” symbolizes the fact that he gained the trust of the industry and investors towards Madhya Pradesh in his short tenure. From Mukesh Ambani, Adi Godrej, Srinivasan of India Cement, Ravi Jhunjhunwala to industrialists who took part in Magnificent Madhya Pradesh, all of them appreciated the Chief Minister’s bold thinking and vision in the field of investment. Such a title being given to any politician today would be considered a rarity.
(The author is an independent commenter)
