Shri Modi shared several anecdotes about innovative governance
practices in Gujarat. Speaking about an innovation in the kite
making industry he said, “When I became CM in 2001, I decided
to empower the kite making industry. To do this I hired a
Market Research Team, and found out that to make a kite, the
manufacturer had to travel to 32 places. After further research,
we were successful in reducing this number to 13. Then we
realized that bamboos used for kite making were imported from
Assam. After making some genetic modifications, the specific
variety of bamboos were made available in Gujarat. Thus, the
cost associated with the process of kite making was substantially
reduced. Furthermore, we extended this research to sugarcane
and today Gujarat has been getting prizes for its sugarcane
quality.”
Shri Modi talked about Gujarat Government’s ‘out of the
box’ thinking, which had resulted in the formulation of the
Jyotigram Yojana, which provided a major boost to the state’s
development. He said, “It has always been common in Indian
villages to have power for only 6-8 hours every day. In fact, the
situationwas so dire, that in 2001, everyone that I interactedwith,
told me to provide electricity at least at dinnertime. There was
a huge short fall of 2000 MW. After giving it thought, I realized
that by separating feeders for household and farmland power
we could substantially reduce power thefts and increase the
provision of electricity to households. Despite many obstacles,
we have been successful in providing 24 hr electricity to the
people of Gujarat.”
Recalling a conversation he hadwith the PrimeMinister, Shri Modi
said, “There is fencing on the India-Pakistan border; the quality
of land is also very good. I suggested to the Prime Minister that
we install solar panels instead of the fence. While they would
not only produce electricity, the solar panels would also act as
barriers and keep our borders safe. The PM liked the idea but I
am awaiting action.”
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