Guj proposes apex body for Special Investment Region

In order to facilitate industries start economic activities or units in Special Investment Regions (SIRs), Gujarat government will table a Gujarat Special Investment Region Bill, 2009 in the budget session of Gujarat Assembly, which was kicked off today. The bill provides for establishment of an apex authority as well as a regional development authority for SIR.

The proposed apex authority and regional development authority will be set up for development, operation, regulation, management, planning and to grant approval to any economic activity or amenity to be established in the Special Investment Region. Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB) will be declared and designated as the Special Investment Region Apex Authority. The apex authority will be a single point of contact for starting an economic activity or setting up a unit in SIR.

Earlier Gujarat government had promulgated Gujarat Special Investment Region Ordinance, 2009 and the Gujarat Special Investment Region Bill will replace this ordinance. The budget session of Gujarat State Assembly began today amid demonstrations by opposition congress party in the state.

Around 38 per cent of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) fall in Gujarat. As part of DMIC, six mega industrial nodes (four industrial areas and two investment regions) have been proposed to be set up in Gujarat, which is developing Dholera as SIR.

It may be mentioned here that industry players committed a whopping investment of Rs. 2.09 lakh crore for infrastructure sector during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit in January this year. Of this big-ticket investment nearly 50 per cent will flow into Dholera SIR.