Gujarat GSDP Growth 17.4% .

[Black Tornado]

Haven't been there in a decade plus but I've heard from both leisure travelers and on work folk that it has done really well for itself lately.

the ports are top notch modern and efficient, good infra inland, less corruption (thanks to Modi Ji's danda), oil, gas, diamonds, textiles.. good stuff overall.

Travelled to Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Porbandar (Gandhi ji’s birthplace) and Veraval (Shri Somnath Temple), that was 5+ years ago, and I must say that Gujarat in general is much better than rest of the states, although there is a scope of improvement everywhere.

 

[Paitoo]

Travelled to Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Porbandar (Gandhi ji’s birthplace) and Veraval (Shri Somnath Temple), that was 5+ years ago, and I must say that Gujarat in general is much better than rest of the states, although there is a scope of improvement everywhere.

I feel Gujarat is missing out as a preferred employment destination among the youth because of 2 reasons:
1) Harsh weather
2) No alchohol

They can't do anything about the weather, but allowing liquor will attract younger talent. Maybe that is my coloured view as a person who likes his drink and has in the past turned down job offers from Gujarat.

 

[Black Tornado]

I feel Gujarat is missing out as a preferred employment destination among the youth because of 2 reasons:
1) Harsh weather
2) No alchohol

They can't do anything about the weather, but allowing liquor will attract younger talent. Maybe that is my coloured view as a person who likes his drink and has in the past turned down job offers from Gujarat.

Don’t think Gujarat has harsh weather, it’s the same everywhere in India.

 

[Paitoo]

Don’t think Gujarat has harsh weather, it’s the same everywhere in India.

True. Maybe I was comparing with South where it is greener and rain brings relief. Ahmedabad weather is similar to Hyderabad - mostly hot with a very short winter and even that is not comparable to what you get in north.

 

[Surya 1]

Travelled to Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Porbandar (Gandhi ji’s birthplace) and Veraval (Shri Somnath Temple), that was 5+ years ago, and I must say that Gujarat in general is much better than rest of the states, although there is a scope of improvement everywhere.

I am going to Somnath and Dwarika this week.

 

[Jackdaws]

I see more and more businesses coming to Gujarat with corrupt SS government in Maharashtra. Export gap will be widened and GDP gap will narrow.

Fat chance. Maharashtra is way ahead because of just having a better work culture.

 

[Surya 1]

Fat chance. Maharashtra is way ahead because of just having a better work culture.

Maharashtra is way ahead because it is a big state and has Bombay in it, which should have come to Gujarat at the time of separation.

 

[Wood]

Stealing South Indias business should not be called growth. I mean all kind of industry shifting from South to North. Chemical, mechanical, vlsi, software... You name it. South and specially Karnataka quite till now, but the time of explosive reaction is near.

Karnataka attracts more tech related industries than any state by a large margin. I don't think Gujarat competes in the same ball park. Not sure where you got this idea from.

 

[Wood]

Kerala is a blessed state. It grows some of the most lucrative crops - virtually all spices, herbs, tea, coffee, rubber, coconut and cashew nut. Then there is the amazing natural beauty and ayurveda that brings in the tourism moolah. Although they claim to be communists, I think they lean more towards socialism as a government. Trade unions are a double edged sword. They are good in the sense they prevent exploitation and ensure fair wages, which ensures the living standards are at least a certain level.

I don't think Malayalis as a people are communist. They are the most prolific businessmen in the south. Very enterprising people. Their government also keeps alternating between Communist and Congress.

Kerala has best standard of living for medium size state. But I think the secret sauce is remittances. Nearly 20% of all remittances to India go to this state. While one could say export of human resources to other countries is also legit, it is highly vulnerable to depend on a single sector for a state. For instance, what would happen if Gulf countries ban workers from India for whatever reason? Too risky for states exchequer

@Surya 1 @Sudarshan @Wood
Really good numbers. I haven't been able to visit Gujarat since 2018. Are these numbers translating into the people on the ground being drip fed the benefits of the economic growth?

I've not been to India for a long time as well

 

[aakash_2410]

I feel Gujarat is missing out as a preferred employment destination among the youth because of 2 reasons:
1) Harsh weather
2) No alchohol

They can't do anything about the weather, but allowing liquor will attract younger talent. Maybe that is my coloured view as a person who likes his drink and has in the past turned down job offers from Gujarat.

It has been a well documented fact that prohibition has always had a net negative impact on economy.

Lost jobs in the industry (Distilleries and retail places), lost revenue for the state and less money being spent in the economy.

 

[Wood]

You didn't have PMLN in Gujarat? Give them some power and they will make it import led economy

Fun fact: Indian Punjab has state debt levels that approach that of Pakistan.

Union government will eventually be the safety net for this state. But I think there is some peculiarity in the Indus River system. People close to it seen to borrow more than they should

 

[Paitoo]

Kerala has best standard of living for medium size state. But I think the secret sauce is remittances. Nearly 20% of all remittances to India go to this state. While one could say export of human resources to other countries is also legit, it is highly vulnerable to depend on a single sector for a state. For instance, what would happen if Gulf countries ban workers from India for whatever reason? Too risky for states exchequer

Good point. They need to invest in service industries in the state. I don't see manufacturing taking off in a big way because protest lobbies are big there and will block industrialization efforts in the name of environment. Arundhati Roy will be the first to jump in. However parts of Kerala do have a fragile ecosystem and we have seen that in repeated floods over the last 3 years.

It can do well in services, though some language barriers exist for outsiders. Once those are overcome, it is a pretty good state to live in. People used to hot and humid weather in Mumbai and Chennai will be at home. As long as the beer taps are flowing it is all good. About 7 years back they had come up with some stupid prohibition, thankfully it got diluted.

 

[Wood]

Good point. They need to invest in service industries in the state. I don't see manufacturing taking off in a big way because protest lobbies are big there and will block industrialization efforts in the name of environment. Arundhati Roy will be the first to jump in. However parts of Kerala do have a fragile ecosystem and we have seen that in repeated floods over the last 3 years.

It can do well in services, though some language barriers exist for outsiders. Once those are overcome, it is a pretty good state to live in. People used to hot and humid weather in Mumbai and Chennai will be at home. As long as the beer taps are flowing it is all good. About 7 years back they had come up with some stupid prohibition, thankfully it got diluted.

The state boasts a high literacy rate and good standard of living. Scenic coastal area and bay area type walkways in Kochi (check India pictures thread). Lesser garbage on street from what I've seen on tourist trips there. All good for a recipe to have high income knowledge sector investments. Tech jobs usually do not have Union problems, tech workers don't like to unionize and language barrier is not a big deal. So why is Kerala not competing with a state like Tamil Nadu in tech services exports? I don't know why. Perhaps some members here can explain

 

[Jackdaws]

Maharashtra is way ahead because it is a big state and has Bombay in it, which should have come to Gujarat at the time of separation.

Why should it have?

 

[Paitoo]

So why is Kerala not competing with a state like Tamil Nadu in tech services exports? I don't know why. Perhaps some members here can explain

My uneducated guess is that the existing dominant players are too strong - NCR, Mumbai-Pune, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. No other cluster has been able to replicate that kind of success. The big keep getting bigger because it is easy.

From observation, I can also say that Malayalis in IT industry are less common compared to people from other southern states. Maybe traditionally the preference for IT as a career is less in Kerala. The state also does not have a proliferation of engineering colleges like the rest of the country.