Gujarat a star performer in economic growth: Report

Gandhinagar, May 22 (UNI) Gujarat has been described as a ''star performer'' in economic growth, a report prepared by Gujarat Institute of Development Rsearch (GIDR) has indicated.

The report calls the state a ''star performer'' and a ''manufacturing specialist'' with investments in ports, roads and telecom.

The Planning Commission has once again praised the economy of Gujarat and government's performance with state's intrinsic strength of manufacturing sector and investment in infrastructure. The draft report has charted the state's economic growth during the last five years, an official release said here today.

The report, comparing the state with other states, finds Gujarat doing exceedingly well on most economic measures. The comparisons are made against Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It states that the per capita income of Gujarat was at a much lower level of Rs 11,500 against Rs 13,500 in Maharashtra in 1993 and has grown to Rs 19,500, recording a jump of over 70 per cent in a decade growing fastest among its peers.

Criticising Gujarat for an average growth of only 14 per cent in manufacturing sector despite a potential for crossing the 20 per cent, the report said this was because of conservative monetary and exchange rate policies of the Central government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Gujarat has also turned into a new poverty measurement tool for India. It will be the first state to employ a below poverty line criterion, initiated by the Rural Development Ministry, in 1992 to rank the poor and direct spending programmes on poverty alleviation.

The apex planning body has been so impressed by Gujarat's efforts that it is now recommending the same as the standard for all the other 28 states, the release claimed.

UNI