Assocham says Gujarat investment declined 54.5% amid Vibrant claims of Rs 25 lakh crore worth proposals

By A Representative
An analysis put out by one of India’s top corporate bodies, the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham), has sought to reveal that Gujarat’s industrial investment proposals on year-on-year basis have declined by a whopping 54.5%. The analysis is considered significant, as it seeks to indirectly contrast what happened at the Vibrant Gujarat business summit, where a claim was made that the state had attracted a whopping Rs 25 lakh crore worth of investment proposals, highest ever.
As against Rs 25 lakh crore, Assocham analysis said, during January-September 2014 Gujarat received just about Rs 31,788 crore worth of investment. This is, it added, as against more than double as much -- Rs 69,847 crore – investment received during January-September 2013.
The industry body’s analysis is based on analysis of industrial entrepreneurial memorandums (IEMs), letters of intent (LoIs) and direct industrial licenses (DILs), released by the Government of India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.
The analysis, significantly, comes amidst Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effort to strongly showcase Gujarat as the model of development for the country through the Vibrant Gujarat investment summit. Not only Gujarat; India under Modi, Assocham contended a fortnight ago (January 7), has considerably slowed down. Thus, country received investment proposals worth Rs.362,805 crore in January-September 2014, a drop from Rs.451,643 crore in the corresponding period of 2013.
It is not known what made Assocham come up with such a short-period analysis, which is generally not considered advisable for investment proposals. Experts believe, investment proposals may take a stride in a particular year, but may go down in another, depending on the type of projects proposed. Hence, they are not credible. It is advisable to take a longer duration analysis, say of five years, while calculating investments.
Assocham did not stop here. It went ahead by declaring that Chhattisgarh has acquired “lion’s share” of about 45 per cent in the total amount of proposed investments in India, with Rs 1,61,836 crore, during January-September 2014.
This is, it said, nearly 420 per cent over the corresponding period of January-September 2013. “Other states, which registered significant growth in terms of proposed investments, were Punjab (184 per cent), Karnataka (166 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (108 per cent) and Assam (25 per cent)”, it , suggesting Gujarat, on the other hand, registered a decline.
Assocham "analyses" come a week after it officially sharply criticized the Modi Cabinet's decision to peg the reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum above the telecom regulator's recommendation, declaring, “it will not only impact consumers but also affect the government's Digital India initiative.” It wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the move would impact growth and expansion of quality networks.
"The industry is deeply concerned with the Cabinet's decision to raise the reserve price for 900 MHz spectrum," media reports quoted Assocham as saying. The reserve prices for the proposed auction of spectrum in the 900 MHz band in 18 service areas was increased by the Cabinet by 32.5% over the reserve prices recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

Search This Blog