JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Saturday announced a series of measures to boost the state's MSME, handicrafts, startup and electronics sectors.
The initiatives include artisan haats on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, incentives for the semiconductor industry under RIPS-2024 and financial assistance for 25 startups through the Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund.
Addressing a special International MSME Day programme at the Constitution Club in Jaipur, Sharma said, "Micro, small and medium enterprises are the foundation of Rajasthan's economic progress, employment generation and self-reliance." He added that his government is committed to promoting entrepreneurship, giving local products a global recognition and positioning Rajasthan as a leading industrial state.
Sharma said Rajasthan has emerged as the fourth-largest MSME state in the country with more than 3.3 million MSME units. "Our policies, along with the confidence and hard work of entrepreneurs, have enabled Rajasthan to emerge as one of the country's leading MSME states," he said, adding that the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit has boosted investment and industrial development.
He also distributed cheques, subsidies and land allotment letters worth over Rs13 crore to beneficiaries and launched the Rajasthan Industrial Development Policy, the ODOP Coffee Table Book and the RAMP (Rising and Accelerating MSME Performance) Portal.
The Chief Minister said more than 1,600 industrial plots were allotted under the Direct Allotment Policy-2025 during the past year. He said reforms have been implemented in 23 priority sectors, while the approval period for land-use conversion for MSME units in urban areas has been reduced from 60 days to 30 days. The timeline for approvals to establish industries has also been cut from 120 days to 30 days. The list of white-category non-polluting industries has been expanded from 104 to 877.
Sharma said the government is developing solar panel manufacturing parks, ceramic parks, data centre parks and defence manufacturing parks. Referring to the Develop Village-Ward Campaign, he said it aims to promote district-specific products globally under the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative. "Young people should become job creators rather than job seekers by establishing processing units based on local agricultural products," he said.
Industry and Commerce Minister Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, "The government is committed to creating an environment where industries can grow with ease, supported by modern infrastructure and progressive policies," adding that 33 new industrial areas have received financial and administrative approval.
Minister of State for Industry and Commerce K.K Vishnoi said the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, is accelerating growth in MSMEs, skill development and industrialisation through innovation, good governance and effective implementation.
Among the major announcements, Sharma said artisan haats for products made by artisans, weavers and micro-enterprises will be developed on a PPP model in the first phase at Pushkar, Nathdwara, Jaisalmer and Alwar. He also announced financial assistance under the One District One Product scheme for processing units linked to plant species identified under the Panch Gaurav Yojana.
To strengthen the electronics and semiconductor sector, the government reduced the minimum investment threshold under RIPS-2024 to Rs 15 crore for selected component categories and allowed investments under the Centre's Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS) to be made in five phases instead of three. The monthly skill development assistance for women and persons with disabilities in the sector has been increased from Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000. Additionally, 25 new startups will receive financial support this year through the Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund.
