'Encouraged by exports, but local infra must catch up': Niti Aayog member after visiting Jaipur SEZs

Arvind Virmani, former Chief Economic Adviser and full-time NITI Aayog member, said on Saturday that while the export performance of manufacturing units in Jaipur's SEZs is promising, modest improvements in infrastructure can yield outsized gains.

"Visited a number of units (6 + 4) in the Jaipur area…Very encouraged by the range of exports; but like elsewhere in country could benefit from small improvements in local infrastructure (drainage, roads, sewage, water supply, sanitation)," he wrote on X.

Virmani, whose visit spanned two SEZs (one central, one PPP) and a RICO industrial zone, also pointed to the transformative potential of digital systems integration. "A big leap in digital connectivity of Customs, GST, IT, RBI & banks could improve automaticity by 10×," he said. He singled out two small and medium enterprises for praise: they designed and manufactured their own machinery and tooling to produce export‑quality goods.

In the past few months, complaints have mounted against crumbling infrastructures in cities like Gurugram and Bengaluru. 

In Bengaluru, for instance, BlackBuck co-founder Rajesh Yabaji recently said the company would relocate from Bellandur on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) due to worsening commute times and poor road conditions. "Average commute for my colleagues shot up to 1.5+ hrs...Roads full of potholes & dust," he wrote, lamenting slow progress on repairs.

Krishna Kumar Gowda, General Secretary, Greater Bengaluru IT Companies & Industries Association, expressed deep concern over the continued infrastructure neglect along ORR. "The decision of leading firms to move out highlights the urgent need for government intervention," he said.

BlackBuck later clarified that it would not abandon Bengaluru but would relocate within the city to ease commutes, while maintaining operations along the ORR corridor.

Earlier this year, several entrepreneurs and residents expressed frustration over waterlogging and road cave-ins that disrupted daily life and deliveries in Gurugram.