UP mulls over GIS mapping of vacant industrial plots

Creation of labour pool by industry bodies

To spur industrial growth and attract investment, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is mulling over using Geographic Information System (GIS) to map vacant industrial plots in the state. This would enable online selection of such sites by industrialists to set up units. The government is also planning to create a labour pool of industry associations based on different skill sets to supplement job-specific workforce on demand.

The measures, aimed at improving the business climate in UP, occur amidst the backdrop of a recent investor's conclave in New Delhi where the state engaged with the industry and signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) worth over Rs 50,000 crore.

The meeting, chaired by UP infrastructure and industrial development Principal Secretary Sanjeev Saran, saw seven government departments in attendance, namely- commercial tax, micro, small & medium enterprises, pollution control, labour, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Greater Noida and UP State Industrial Development Corporation. The meeting concluded that departments providing clearances for establishing enterprise should conduct a comparative mapping of ‘best practices’ adopted by other states vis-à-vis UP within a fortnight.

According to Saran “industrial growth is essential for economic development. In the current scenario, improvement in the business environment should be addressed on a priority basis by easing procedures, simplifying processes and utilisation of information technology for time-bound issuance of clearances.” The state commercial tax department had already introduced online refund facility including e-registration, e-sancharan (for intra-state movement of goods), e-payment and e-return.