Economy of Rajasthan

What the official syllabus says

RAS Main Examination, Paper I: General Studies I, Unit II (Economics), Part C: Economy of Rajasthan.

• Economic growth indicators of Rajasthan - State Domestic Product, Per Capita Income and Inclusive Growth. Viksit Rajasthan 2047. Green Growth and Environmental Sustainability. Position of Rajasthan in the Achievements of Sustainable Goals.
• State Budget - Fiscal Management and Budget Deficits.
• Agricultural Growth: Production and Productivity. Water Resources and Irrigation. Animal Husbandry and Allied Activities. Agricultural Marketing. Government Schemes for Farmer's Welfare.
• Rural Development and Rural Infrastructure. Panchayati Raj Institutions and State Finance Commission.
• Institutional Framework of Industrial Development. Investment Promotion Policy. Importance Of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Policy Initiatives for Their Development. Petroleum And Oil Resources in The State.
• Infrastructure Development - Power and Transportation. Public-Private Partnership Projects Externally Aided State Projects.
• Human Resource Development - Health and Education: Unemployment and Poverty. Employment Generation and Poverty Eradication Schemes.
• Good Governance and digital transformation ensuring efficient public services.
• Major Welfare Schemes of State Government For SC/ST/Backward Classes) Minorities/Disable Persons, Destitute, Women, Children and Old Age People.

Topics in detail

This is the most state-specific part of Unit II. The state's Economic Review and Budget are the usual sources for the figures; learn the concepts and institutions here, and the latest numbers from those documents.

Growth indicators and sustainability

• Gross and Net State Domestic Product at current and constant prices; sectoral shares (agriculture, industry, services)
• Per capita income of Rajasthan compared with India; regional and district disparities
• Inclusive growth: who benefits from growth; women, rural areas and backward regions
• Viksit Rajasthan 2047: the state's long-term development vision
• Green growth and environmental sustainability: renewable energy, desertification, water conservation, forest cover
• Rajasthan's position in the Sustainable Development Goals, as measured by NITI Aayog's SDG India Index

State budget and fiscal management

• Revenue receipts: state's own tax revenue (state GST, excise, stamps and registration, vehicle tax), non-tax revenue (mining royalties), share in central taxes and grants
• Expenditure: revenue and capital, committed expenditure (salaries, pensions, interest)
• Deficits and debt: revenue, fiscal and primary deficit; the Rajasthan Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (2005)

Agriculture, water and animal husbandry

• Agro-climatic zones; major crops (bajra, mustard, guar, pulses, wheat, cumin, coriander, isabgol); production and productivity
• Water resources: rivers, groundwater and over-exploited blocks; Indira Gandhi Canal, Chambal, Mahi, Bisalpur and other projects; the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project
• Micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler), farm ponds and watershed development
• Animal husbandry: share of livestock in the state's economy; breeds such as Rathi, Tharparkar, Gir, Kankrej and Nagori (cattle), Murrah (buffalo), Chokla and Marwari (sheep); camel as the state animal; dairy cooperatives
• Agricultural marketing: regulated mandis, e-NAM, warehousing
• Government schemes for farmers' welfare: crop loans through cooperatives, crop insurance, subsidies on inputs and equipment

Rural development and Panchayati Raj

• Rural infrastructure: roads, drinking water, housing, electrification
• Rural employment and livelihoods: MGNREGA, self-help groups (Rajeevika)
• Panchayati Raj: Rajasthan was the first state to launch it (Nagaur, 2 October 1959); the three tiers; the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act (1994)
• State Finance Commission (Article 243-I): devolution of funds to panchayats and municipalities

Industry and investment

• Institutional framework: RIICO, Rajasthan Financial Corporation, the Bureau of Investment Promotion, district industries centres
• Investment promotion policy and the Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme; single-window clearance; the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor
• MSMEs: their importance in jobs and exports; policy support and easier rules for setting up units
• Petroleum and oil: the Barmer basin (Mangala, Bhagyam, Aishwariya fields), the refinery at Pachpadra, heavy oil and gas in Bikaner and Jaisalmer
• Minerals: Rajasthan's place in zinc, lead, marble, gypsum and other minerals

Infrastructure

• Power: thermal (Suratgarh, Kota, Chhabra, Kalisindh), nuclear (Rawatbhata), solar (the Bhadla solar park) and wind energy; transmission and distribution reforms
• Transport: national and state highways, rural roads, rail and air connectivity
• Public-private partnership projects; externally aided projects funded by agencies such as the World Bank, ADB and JICA

Human resource development

• Health: indicators (infant and maternal mortality), public health insurance and free medicine schemes
• Education: literacy (66.1 per cent in Census 2011, with a large gap between men and women), enrolment and dropout
• Unemployment and poverty in the state; employment generation and poverty eradication schemes

Good governance and welfare

• Good governance and digital services: Jan Aadhaar, e-Mitra kiosks, Rajasthan Sampark grievance system, the Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act (2011) and the Rajasthan Right to Hearing Act (2012)
• Welfare schemes by group: scholarships and hostels for SC, ST and backward classes; minorities; persons with disabilities; destitute people; women; children (for example the Palanhar scheme for orphaned children); old-age and social security pensions

Overlaps

The concepts are on Indian Economy. Rajasthan's geography, crops and mineral resources are also in Paper II, and Panchayati Raj in Paper III.