THE lake city of Bhopal is gearing up to host the ensuing Global Investors’ Summit. That the summit is in line with the thinking of the Government of Madhya Pradesh to invite investment to the State, is obvious. But in recent times, Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav, too, has been leading the State’s action from the front, offering a mature vision of the Government’s intent to give Madhya Pradesh a better tomorrow. Moving around Bhopal’s industrial areas -- within the city-limits or outside it -- the loosefooter has every reason to believe that the capital city of Madhya Pradesh is already on the right course. It gives one a happy feeling that in the past decades, Bhopal has been able to attract a lot of industrial and business activity and offer multiplied employment opportunities to the talent in the region. Despite that, the region has had a greater scope and potential to accommodate more in vestment and create better developmental opportunities.

 

That potential is now being tapped with a greater vigour -- which is welcome from any angle. True, as a State capital, Bhopal should have attracted much bigger dose of investment in different domains. It must be admitted that the State Government always pushed the idea to the best of its abilities. Yet, a little introspection leads one to conclude that the efforts should have been more focused and with a greater sense of purpose. Never mind that, things are promising to move faster and better these days. There is no doubt that more investment will come to the State and greater job-potential, too, would be available here in due time. However, as the State guns for more investment, one wonders if the Government is making conscious efforts to expand the region’s talent pool by preparing young generations through a stronger thrust on academics of high calibre.

 

Though the capital city has many academic institutions of high repute, one does not know for sure if those have the capacity to produce academically better-groomed youngsters of national standards. If the State does not measure up to this challenge, then the attempt to invite and attract more investment to the State will have only a half-baked outcome. For, as if the national experience, Indian academia has often fallen short of industry’s expectations about young talent. Even as the State Government gives a stronger push to the idea of attracting greater investment, then it will have to ensure that enough young local talent is available to industry and business. This is not the case just about Bhopal, but also about the whole of State of Madhya Pradesh. Having sensed in depth the plus and minus points in the investment scenario, the loosefooter suggests that the best way to attract investment is to offer to the industry and business enough talent pool among young generations. It is time, therefore, to introspect if the Madhya Pradesh Government is focused appropriately on this point. n