'Economic Growth: Story of Gujarat Since 1960, What Next?'

Abstract

Gujarat is a state of India, situated at the western most part of the country. The state is in discussion among modern thinkers for its development strategy. Gujarat is studied and compared with other Indian states too for its high economic growth rate. The state came in existence in 1960 by splitting the Bombay state on the linguistic bases. Gujarat has many growth potentialities as well as natural and social curse on its account which impeded state’s growth. Albeit, high growth rate is not a new experience for Gujarat since its inception, there are few questions that arise when we are concerned with sustainable growth and development. When we study socio-political and natural factors of the state, we can see that not any single factor is responsible for Gujarat’s high growth rate, but it’s a result of combined impacts of innovation, political prudence, and growth propensity of people which have converted some unwanted events in favour of the state. At the end of the story, the question is that the Gujarat has become an example of economic growth but can the growth pattern of Gujarat be a theory for other state? This paper is trying to unveil some features of economic growth pattern of Gujarat state for state’s own sustainable development and for other states of India to be an example if it can be. For this study, some major eventual incidents and decisions taken by Gujarat are studied that have become milestone and directional in growth path of the state.