Jaitley wants Centre-state cooperation on reforms

Kolkata: In the backdrop of the Trinamool Congress taking the lead in parliament to block several economic reforms, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Wednesday called for cooperation among the central and state governments on development issues.

He also reminded West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that just like her regime, the BJP also has a responsibility to deliver what it had promised to the electorate.

"Madam chief minister, you have a mandate to rule the state. And, therefore, you have the responsibility to deliver what was promised. We have a mandate to rule the country from the Centre. We have a responsibility to deliver from Delhi, what we had promised.

"Notwithstanding our political differences in many areas, the strength of India is that despite these differences, Indian remains a strong federation of states.

"As a strong federation of states, India continues to grow with the cooperation of the Centre and the states. In all areas where the states want to prosper, we are here to fully support you," Jaitley said during his address at the Bengal Global Business Summit here.

The Trinamool Congress had spearheaded the opposition's protests against the central government's bid to pass the Insurance Bill and the Coal Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

The minister's speech dwelled on development, investment and economy, with particular reference to West Bengal, but simultaneously it was also loaded with subtle criticisms and messages directed at the Banerjee government.

Regretting that many of the big industries, which operated from Bengal for ages, had now shipped out, Jaitley said the challenge was how to re-establish the eastern state as an industrial centre.

He took on state Finance and Industries Minister Amit Mitra, who earlier in the day, highlighted that the state's growth figures were double than that nationally.

Jaitley pointed out that share of manufacturing in the state's growth was small which affected job creation.

"While talking of encouraging growth figures of the state, we must not lose sight of reality that the share of manufacturing in the state's growth is still on a very narrow base," he said.

"It is the manufacturing which is going to create jobs. It is manufacturing in which people are going to shift from the underemployment in the agriculture sector into the manufacturing sector."

Jaitley said an investor would choose the state or region which gives him the best deal, "where doing business is comfortable... doing business is conducive, purposeful and profitable".

He also called for cutting down of red tape, easy grant of permissions and sanctions and negligible loss of man-days, besides good quality and modernised infrastructure.

"I am sure, while Bengal today makes a very strong plea, and a very legitimate plea for investment into the state, which I am sure is coming to the state, and should come to the state, we have to bear in mind in each of these area we have to grow."

Jaitley also referred to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences project which has been sanctioned in the last budget.

The erstwhile UPA government had also sanctioned the setting up of an AIIMS-like institute in the state, but the project did not see the light of the day over wrangling between the Congress and the Trinamool on its site.

"Last year, in the union budget, we sanctioned the setting up of an AIIMS. I am sure steps are being taken now to expedite its setting up in West Bengal itself," the BJP leader said.