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Rajasthan, a mineral-rich state, has a diversified economy with agriculture, mining and tourism as its main engines of growth. The state mines produce gold, silver, sandstone, limestone, marble, rock phosphate, copper and lignite. It is the second largest producer of cement and contributes one tenth of the salt produced in India. Area-wise, Rajasthan is the largest state in India which is located in the north-western part of the subcontinent. It is surrounded on north and north-east by Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, on the east and south-east by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on the south-west by Gujarat. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Rajasthan expanded at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.60 per cent over 2011-12 to 2017-18. The state has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) equity inflows worth US$ 1.67 billion between April 2000 and June 2018.
Rajasthan and Its Economy:
1. Land Use Pattern
Area-wise, Rajasthan is the largest state of the country, having a geographical area of 3,42,239 hectares which constitutes 10.41 of country's area. If we talk about the net sown area, more than half of the total report area is under agriculture operation, which means Rajasthan is essentially an agricultural state. Alwar, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Tonk are some of the high intensity (above 50%) districts. In Rajasthan, the area under forest is small. Owing to low rainfall and aridity, forest areas are almost negligible in the arid zone districts like Barmer, Bikaner, Churu while forest area varies from 1% to 2% in rest of the districts.
2. Agriculture
Wheat and Barley are cultivated in large areas in Rajasthan. The state is the largest producer of rapeseed, bajra, mustard and wool in India and second largest producer of oilseeds, spices and milk. It is the third largest producer of soya bean and coarse cereals in India. Rajasthan is also the leading producer of milk in North India.
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The state has been divided into 10 agro-climatic zones, which have been classified on the basis of agro-climatic parameters such as rainfall, temperature regime, topography, soil characteristics, cropping pattern and irrigation availability. The agro-climatic zones include Arid North Western Sandy Plain, Irrigated North Western Plain, Hyper Arid Partial Irrigated Zone, Transitional Plain of Inland Drainage, Alluvial Plain of Luni Basin, Semi Arid Eastern Plain, Flood Prone Eastern Plain, Sub Humid Southern Plain and Aravallis, Humid Southern Plain, Humid South Eastern Plain.
3. Tourism
Tourism is a flourishing industry in Rajasthan, accounting for approximately 15 per cent of the state’s economy. It also provides economic benefits like foreign exchange earnings, regional development, infrastructure development and promotion of local handicrafts. Tourism is the third largest employer in Rajasthan after agriculture and textiles sector. Adventure Tourism, Desert Tourism, Spiritual Tourism, Cultural Tourism, Wildlife and Eco-Tourism are some types of tourism in Rajasthan.
The palaces of Jaipur, lakes of Udaipur and desert forts of Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaisalmer are among the most common destinations for tourists in Rajasthan.
Some of the important industries in Rajasthan are of cement, mining and minerals, auto and auto components. textiles, gems and jewellery, steel, ceramics, salt, marble.
Schedule of Rajasthan assembly elections:
Rajasthan Assembly Elections 2018: Assembly elections in Rajasthan are scheduled to be held in single phase on December 7, 2018. In the last elections in 2013, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won a majority in the 200-seat Rajasthan Assembly.
Results for Rajasthan Assembly elections 2018 will be declared on December 11 along with results of Assembly elections in four other states - Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram.
The tenure of Rajasthan Assembly ends on January 20, 2019.
The last date for filing of nominations is November 19 and scrutiny of nominations will be on November 20, 2018.
Last date for withdrawal of candidature is November 22, 2018.
Voting will take place on December 7 and counting of votes is scheduled for December 11, 2018.
As per the Election Commission, the election process must be completed before December 13, 2018.
While the main contest in Rajasthan is between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and other smaller parties are also eyeing a good share of seats.
There are 34 SC and 25 ST seats out of the total 200 seats in Rajasthan Assembly.
