Uttarakhand seeks to give fresh boost to industry

Faced with stinging criticism that the industrial process was being hampered, the Uttarakhand government is trying hard to give a fresh impetus to industrialisation and invite new proposals for the hilly region.

For this, the government is seeking proposals from industrial houses to set up small and eco-friendly industries in the state's hills.

An action plan has been prepared to promote village industries, agriculture-based units and cottage industries, official sources said, adding Rs 6.25 crore has been earmarked for it.

Chief Minister BC Khanduri is also keen to see industrialisation on a firm footing and has told bureaucrats to work more on inviting investments in both the hilly and the plain regions. He has told officials to interact frequently with all those setting up units in the state.

Khanduri has already made a passionate appeal to industrial houses to set up small eco-friendly units in the hills also. He has also began interactions with various industrial associations like the Confederation of Indian Industry and PHDCCI.

Udyogmitra, a government body set up to promote industries in the state, would now meet every three months and try to give an impetus to industrial growth in the state, the sources said.

The chief minister, during his recent meetings, had told various industrial associations that 1633 new proposals worth Rs 300 crore had poured into Uttarakhand ever since his government came to power.

"These figures show that capital investment in the industrial sector during the past four months is 60 per cent more than in the corresponding four months of the previous year. It proves that the state government is committed to the industrial growth of the state," Khanduri said.

Saying that overall investment in the state stood at Rs 26,000 crore, he said 800 industrial units had started production with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.

Forty thousands people had received employment through these industrial units, he said. But he made it plain that he wanted to see industries providing at least 70 per cent jobs to local youth regularly.

Congress leaders, including former chief minister ND Tiwari, are critical of the new policies of the present Bharatiya Janata Party government, saying the pace of industrial was far less than the previous government's.