The task was tough. The target was steep. And it needed sleepless nights, nervous energies and some restlessness for this accomplishment. Sign of satisfaction was writ large on the faces of at least 6 IAS officers deeply involved in organising Pravasi Rajasthani Divas.
Though chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and chief secretary V Srinivas made contribution of every officer count in this mega summit, which saw ground breaking of Rs 1 lakh crore projects amassing an investment commitment of over Rs 36 lakh crore including the MoUs signed during Rising Rajasthan last year.
The preparations for this summit began from where the Rising Rajasthan Summit had concluded last year when chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma announced to organise Pravasi Rajasthani Divas every year on December 10.
Rajasthan Foundation commissioner Manisha Arora was given the task to create Rajasthan Foundation Chapters across the globe. She started from scratch and created 26 Chapters including formation of 14 Chapters announced today. Out of these 14 Chapters, 9 will be established abroad while 5 in different states.
“We have been continuously working without taking any leave and vacation for last six months strategising and conceiving the summit. It's the success entire Rajasthan government. Every one right from ministers to bureaucrats chipped in with value,” said a senior IAS, who dealt directly with Pravasi Rajasthani Divas.
The role of Sudhansh Pant, former chief secretary of Rajasthan, who went on central deputation, was also important. He monitored the progress of preparation on regular basis before he went to centre to take up new role as secretary social justice and empowerment.
V Srinivas, who joined as the chief secretary in November last week, didn't take much time in setting the ball roll speedily. He took up the task on priority and mobilise all resources to make this summit a grand success.
Shikhar Agrawal, who was involved in ideation this summit since inception as additional chief secretary to chief minister, ensured that the tempo continues and ideas take shape when he got transferred as additional chief secretary industries – the parent department, responsible for the summit.
Then Akhil Arora, who replaced his batchmate Shikhar Agrawal, too chipped in with new energy and enthusiasm give final touches to the summit. During Rising Rajasthan last year, Arora was serving as additional chief secretary (ACS) finance and played a key role in organising the summit. Now in the role of ACS to CM, he had the responsibility to ensure the delivery as per the expectations of chief minister.
Shivangi Swarnkar, managing director RIICO, too had a key role to play. A member in Shikhar Agrawal's team, she is responsible to creating conducive industrial atmosphere in the state to woo investment.
Suresh Kumar Ola, commissioner, bureau of investment promotion (BIP) too played a critical role in organising this meet. He coordinated with all departments and industry bodies to ensure the success of this meet. BIP is the nodal agency which interacts with investors and facilitate them for setting up businesses in the state
Ram Kumar Kaushik is a seasoned journalist with over 25 years of experience across mediums. The architect of this news website, he is also a consultant with several media groups. He was formerly the group managing editor of ITV Network (NewsX, India News and The Sunday Guardian) and its digital products.
