Small-scale industries will be focus of new policy: K'taka minister

Karnataka Minister Jagadish Shettar on Monday said the state government will be focussing on the development of small-scale industries in the new industrial policy.

The existing industrial policy will end in November, the industries minister told reporters.

He also said industries in areas surrounding Bengaluru will be shifted to second-tier cities.

"The industrial policy will come to an end in November. After that, we will be implementing a new policy in which more focus will be on small-scale industries. Now, industries are developing in areas surrounding Bengaluru. We are going to adopt a policy to shift these industries to second-tier cities," Shettar said.

Talking to the media before inaugurating a rural associations meet organised by Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KSSIA) here, he said that the government was in process of taking the opinion of the small-scale industries on the formation of the new policy.

He termed the prevailing economic slowdown as "temporary" and expressed the hope that it will disappear soon.

"The slowdown is a temporary phenomenon. Even Union Minister Prakash Jawadekar had said the same yesterday. Only some industries have been affected due to it. The slowdown has affected automobile and real estate, not all sectors," the minister said.

Shettar said that the state and central governments were working towards helping the affected industries come out of the slowdown.