UP eyeing post-covid investment from US, Japan, Korea: Industry minister

Admits labour migration posing a challenge to industrial revival; no special approval needed to start operations for new MSME units for next 3 years

Uttar Pradesh is working on garnering investments from the US, Japan and Korea in the post-covid scenario as big companies are looking for viable options to shift base from China, state industrial development minister Satish Mahana today said.

Addressing an e-interaction with members of the UP chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mahana acknowledged that lockdown-induced labour migration is posing a challenge to industrial revival. “The state government is trying to resolve labour related issues to put the economy back on track.”

“Before lockdown, the state industrial feeders were recording about 8,600 megawatt (Mw) electricity consumption per day, which dipped to 3,000 Mw in April 2020. Now, the current power consumption for such feeders is at 85 per cent of the pre-lockdown levels, which is a good sign,” he observed.

Mahana clarified no pass is required for the workforce wanting to return to their work town within the state. “For workers, whose work town is in other states, the passes shall be provided, although the state government is also working to provide jobs to the migrant workers within the state itself.”

Meanwhile, industry representatives claimed that the mobile phone units in Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida have majority of their workforce living in Delhi, hence they would need passes to report to work. Responding to the grievance, Mahana assured to resolve the matter at the earliest.

The minister further urged the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) units to post their suggestions and grievances over the MSME Sathi application or website for speedy resolution of operational difficulties, pending payments etc. He claimed this medium would enable the industrial development department to take up their matter with the departments concerned for resolution.

He said no special approval will be needed to commence operations for new MSME units for the next 3 years to promote the ease of doing business in the state. ‘They just need to intimate the department in writing regarding their commencement of business.”

Meanwhile, CII UP State Council chairman and Dayal Group director Ankit Gupta welcomed the central economic stimulus package aimed at making the country self reliant and to provide relief to industry. He highlighted that the UP labour reforms are the need of hour to address the current labour dynamics, since UP has a large population of migrant workers.

CII UP State Council vice chairman and Ambica Steel managing director C P Gupta lamented the industries in Ghaziabad and Bulandshahr regions were not allowed to operate owing to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ban over depleting groundwater in the area.

With the advent of technology, he claimed, the sewage treatment plants in these regions are functioning efficiently, therefore, the units be permitted to run by using treated water without allowing them to extract groundwater.