Akhilesh Yadav to meet industry once a month

One-to-one interaction aimed at on-the-spot resolution of investment issues

Reaching out to industry, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has promised to meet industrialists once every month.

This one-to-one interaction is aimed at on-the-spot resolution of issues related to industry and investment. In such meetings, industrialists will need no prior appointment for a date with Yadav. Top bureaucrats, including the state chief secretary, will be present in these meetings.

This and other promises were held out by the CM at the annual MSME conclave organised by Indian Industries Association (IIA) in Lucknow at the end of last week. The mega event was attended by about 800 entrepreneurs from across Uttar Pradesh.

UP Inc has long been complaining about industrial and investment matters lingering in official files, which not only delays but also deters fresh investment.

Issues pertaining to land, pollution, labour, environment, clearances and taxation have been cited as major hurdles in the path of MSMEs, as it takes months and sometimes years to get them resolved.

Theoretically, a single window clearance system for industry exists in UP, yet it is far from practical and industrialists have to comply with dozens of individual formalities to get clearances on their own.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Yadav has directed the chief secretary to ensure that irritants faced by industrialists who want to set up industry or expand operations are addressed. Besides, issues such as free holding of industrial land and circle rates will be addressed for speedier disposal.

A dedicated fund will be created for providing industrial hubs with better infrastructure of roads, power and sewage outlets.

Yadav emphasised that progress in the industrial sector would automatically usher in prosperity in UP and claimed that the state had been successful in creating a conducive environment for investment.

Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar, UP's minister of state (independent charge) for small industry and export promotion, said that exports from the state had grown to Rs 80,000 crore. The Centre has sanctioned 113 projects for export promotion under the Assistance to States for Development of Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities (ASIDE) Scheme.

Meanwhile, a portal is being readied for MSMEs in UP, wherein exhaustive information on the product range available in the state would be listed and which could be used by small entrepreneurs to showcase and market their products.

A decision has been taken to include the single window facility under the Janhit Guarantee Adhiniyam, which mandated deliverance of services within a stipulated timeframe.

There are an estimated 3.1 million MSMEs in UP, a majority of which operate in the unorganised sector.