How to increase growth and employment?

Being from Himachal Pradesh, I have often thought about various reasons why my home state has remained underdeveloped compared to the adjoining states. The topology of the state does not allow agriculture or heavy industries as a viable solution to raise the standard of earning and living of the people. Like every problem, this one suggests several solutions, which if implemented well, can provide for most families of HP easily and efficiently.

1) Tourism: HP needs to reinvent itself as a heaven for tourists. This industry, if properly planned, will provide for resorts, planned spots for housing, preservation of forests and cleaner vertical growth: Should be modeled and marketed like Switzerland. Already some efforts have been made in this direction. The ropeways in Parwanoo, the sking spots in Manali are good efforts. There is a big market for adventure sports (like upcoming ones in Garwal area), and the infrastructure required is minimal. The tourist growth needs to channelized to areas of higher revenue. Many waterfalls are either inaccessible or too poorly maintained. There is a fortune to be made everywhere if by introducing Rs 10 tickets, these waterfronts are made more accessible, spots on hill-tops are opened up to trekkers and campers, and these sites maintained digilently. We could have stuff like in Corbett Park, etc. in hills everywhere. Loghuts and cottages can be created in a variety of natural places, and these can be made to cater to all types of tourists. The idea is to install them in natural backdrop, without requiring concrete jungles of Shimla, Solan and Nahan!

2) Holticulture and floriculture: School texts call HP the fruit bowl of India. Serious efforts ought to be made to utilize and market the fruits. Either HPMC should be privatized or HP government should rope in companies like Hindustan Lever who have the proven capability of marketing fruit products better. Also a fortune is to be made in production and marketing of flowers (like it is done in Holland). Present HPMC units are quite inefficient and trust me, require a better management and must hire a bunch of scientists to assist in making products that can meet global standards of hygiene and health.

3) Education: Already HP has some good boarding schools , perhaps we can provide for several such places for education. In fact, from prehistoric times Himalayas have been the best locations for schooling, and HP goverment just needs to open a few places to allow for building of educational townships. Also we must invest in making REC/NIT Hamirpur, IGMC Shimla, HP University and other educational institutes and colleges as attractive locations for education and research. HPMC and fruits/flower industry should be roped in to make serious advances in botanical and agricultural research (unlike the present YS Parmar Institute in Solan, Palampur College or places like Mushroom Institute in Chambaghat) that are incapable of producing any competitive research and development activity. Private funding can help Hamirpur engineering college to produce more marketable engineers. Somehow we need to inculcate the habit of striving harder in our students, so that they can not only compete on national and international level, but also use their ability to take Himachal to being a progressive place it deserves to be.

4) Rethinking hydro-electric projects and cement plants, which have caused more commotion than growth, more erosion than profit, more pollution than production. I still believe that most hydro-electric power plants in my state are heavily underulitized. We need to set research and development activity that helps to keep these units most profitable and use part of the profit to run the research activity. The cement plants owe a heavy social responsibility and need to invest in development of strategies of minimizing erosion, respiratory diseases, etc., and must be likewise asked to provide a part of profit to provide for betterment of the state.

5) Baddi, Barotiwala, Parwanoo, Nalagarh, Mehatpur, and all the similar towns declared as industry hubs need critical appraisal and reinvention. The problems are multiple. The Industries need a particular level of infrastructure which must be provided for. Next roads need improvement. But most important is the recovery of money from the hundreds of sick establishments that opened and closed in these places, leaving behind a trail of pollution, wastage and improper land use. The problem has to be tackled by roping in industry bigwigs as advisors, and inducting experts on city planning and pollution control. Recently Paonta Sahib has started to become attractive for the Pharmauetical giants, and immediately several problems came to the fore: Truck unions, local labor unions, lack of suitably trained and educated people.
6) HP has enormous potential as the site of choice for shooting movies. Unlike the previous projects (one was in Kunihaar I believe), Kullu, Dalhousie, Shimla, and Lahaul should provide for small villages/towns catering to just cinema. In fact it would be great to couple the cinema with other visual arts and make selective places as hubs of artistic activity. The Museum in Patlikool could be used as a model for this. With collaboration of leading artists, Himachal can host workshops on painting, which would also provide a new set of landscape potraits to extol the natural beauty of the state.

7) Ayurveda and Nature Therapy: Himachal is full of herbs. The Ayurveda colleges must take initiative with help of some good labs and industries to identify a range of naturally abundant plant products that can be marketed everywhere. There is an infinite amount of opportunities in patenting and marketing natural care products.

8) Handicrafts, Pattu, Shawls, carpets: these are and always will remain as big draws. We need to market them better than Khadi Bhandars manage to do. HP Showrooms in Mumbai or Delhi for example are in most inconspicuous places. A tie-up with say Madura Garments (who market all major brands) can provide better marketing as well as greater returns.

We have finite means, but infinite potential for growth and development. Key ingredient is going to be efficient planning, production and marketing. HP Government needs to take proactive steps to rope in private sector for financing some of these enterprises, and must provide for efficient management of funds and facilities. The lethargy of Tourism, Khadi Bhandar, HPMC, Educational Institutes has to be done away with. Sick establishments must be cleaned up. We need policies that provide for preservation, for efficent land management and reuse, and for highly modernized and structured way of handling matters. There are ways of making things better, but identifying them is not enough. We need to do so much before Himachal is really a Switzerland for the tourists, flourishing fruit bowl of India, flower bed in full blosson like Holland’s fields idealized in Hindi Movies, heaven of adventure sports, the respected gurukul and education hub, state on fast tracked research activity in holticulture and other areas, and full of people who spread and flourish in and outside state.

First written and posted on Sulekha.com in Feb 27, 2005

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11 Comments

  1. says: RAJAN NAIR

    I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND ANY AVAILABLE INFO ON BUYING OR INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE IN HIMACHEL PRADESH. ANY INFO WOULD BE APPRECIATED. RN

  2. says: Neel

    I really like and appreciate your ideas.. I think even our governments do realize these things.. But then the bigger problem is having good managers / management who can execute these things..

  3. says: Avnish Katoch

    Neel, we choose governments, they are our elected officials, but then the problem is in HP, the system is failing. As compare to rest of India, where huge IT based growth is going. And the real reason is lack of vision by HP govt. HP has debt of Rs.18,000 crores where as all south Indian states are reaping the benefit of IT based growth.

    I believe its time we all need to come forward and do real work instead of just long debates.

  4. says: Vivek Sharma

    For Rajan:

    A non-Himachali cannot buy land or real estate unless it is in Municipal Area.

    Neel and Avnish:

    Talk about possibilities and engaging in a meaningful debate is first step towards establishing what we need to do. I do hope our ideas will be echoed by some means in their ears who can make a difference. HP Government has been sluggish, but I know some efforts are being made in harnessing the possibilities that exist in the sectors you and I mentioned. A better wave of change will be guided by what we manage to do.

  5. says: Vivek Sharma

    Himachal Pradesh has been growing as a state. The recent declaration that any person can buy land in Himachal will definitely addon to the growth of the state. However the people should keep in mind that the state is known for its natural beauty and it should be maintained at any cost…
    Vivek Sharma, Vats Vihar, Badri Nagar, Paonta Sahib, Distt. Sirmour Himachal Pradesh

  6. says: Vivek Sharma

    Much of Himachal’s growth depends upon the money coming into the state. Most of the educated population of Himachal has to move out of the state looking for better education and later looking for better empolyment opportunities and growth prospects.. This definitely leads to a loss of quality people as well as hampers the influx of finance. Importance needs to be given to good and professional education, infrastructure and industries which can avail the services of the educated workforce.

    Further as compared to other states, tourism has taken a backseat in a serene place as Himachal. Tourism can be another big source of revenue generation. Himachal being a state full of natural beauty and a state of temples can definitely exploit this opportunity.

    Share your views at this website or mail me
    Email:[email protected]
    Vivek Sharma, Vats Vihar, Badri Nagar, Paonta Sahib, Distt. Sirmour, Himachal Pradesh.

  7. says: Avnish Katoch

    Dear Vivek (from Sirmour),

    You are right, as central govt. extended HP’s tax free industrial package, lot of new industry is coming from different states, but then we don’t have skilled labor, our youth is ready with a college degree, which is not helping them and they on other side are getting frustrated with unemployment. If you travel to any part of HP you would see large number of college graduates, and in reality the need of the hour is to train youths in skills which are needed in industrial sector.

    My point is if our youth can get college degrees, if facilities provided they can get the skilled training also, so govt. needs to look at that side. They are opening colleges in every small town but what is the use of BA/B.Sc/M.Sc. when there is no job? Plus people from HP needs to get out of govt. job mentality, entrepreneurship and private sector are the ones which are changing rest of India and we should not be left behind in this race.

    Before 2000 it use to be big to get B.Sc. and then B.Ed. so as to get govt. teaching job, but now people need to understand that option is over and there are plenty of jobs in other industrial sector. And govt. needs to formulate a policy where required labor by new industry is easily available from the state itself. Now a lot of pharma companies are coming but we don’t have any college which churns out skilled labor for this sector.

    I was reading yesterday that this tourism season is going great in HP but on the other hand there are no checks and balances and exhorbant amount of money is charged by hotels and others in tourism trade. Govt. needs to build policy so that a guest is treated well so he/she comes back again next year. Tourism has vast potential in HP but on other hand its a hospitality business where respect, comfort and belief are major factors. Look at Rajasthan, private as well as govt. sector brings state’s major revenue but then people get best service also. HP is building its credibility in this sector and its a long way to establish itself.

  8. says: deepak jain

    Hi Rajan Nair,
    As per your requirment there is a 15 bigah land at nahan on Surl Road just 1 KM From rosien & Turpentine factory.New colonies developing nearby.Best for plotting or for Builders/Developers.If you want to know more contact me.

  9. says: Deepak

    Hi.
    Anyone could help me invest in Himachal?

    1. I am from New Delhi.Can I buy property in Himachal Pradesh in my name? I have heard that there r certain problems etc. I neeed to clear out this first.

    2. I would want to invest nearly 1 Cr. in Sirmaur district (Paonta sahib area) in land (agriculture / resort/ commercial).
    Anyone who could clarify me these and help invest.

    thanks

    1. says: Anup kumar

      Hello Deepak,

      I Anup from paonta but working in delhi i have land from paonta and thinking some business like small industry, agri business, resort, but really not decided so need business partner from other state like delhi, Bombay, if you interest send me email – [email protected]

    2. says: Sajal Kumar Verma

      No it is not possible………………………? plz. don’t waste your time and money

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