Assam Govt Not To Support State Psus

Announcing this at a press conference in Guwahati yesterday, chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said that only three of the 48 PSUs in the state are earning profits.

Saying that it would not be possible on the part of the state government to continue pumping in cash to these sick units, Mahanta called upon these organisations to start fending for themselves.

The PSUs should take it up as a challenge and evolve strategies for better coordination between management and workers and make their units viable, Mahanta said.

According to officials, the total loss faced by the PSUs which employs 62,000 people spending Rs 180 crore on wages annually was Rs 1,450 crore.

 

For rapid economic and industrial development, Mahanta said, outside investments both domestic and foreign was essential for which a congenial atmosphere should be crated.

The state government has already decided to take up steps to improve infrastructure facilities in Assam. To this end, the government has invited private parties to set up a total of 32 hydel power projects all over Assam. So far, locations of 23 such small- to medium-sized projects have been identified.

The states industrial policy which is ready is likely to be announced soon after integrating a few more proposals from different quarters.

Mahanta also revealed that the state would have an airline company to connect all the seven north eastern states. Talks are on with a Canadian firm which is keen to operate here with Guwahati as the base.

The chief minister hoped that the Assam Gas Cracker project which is pending due to the non-settlement of some issues will be sorted out by end of this month.

For overall development of the state, Mahanta exhorted the militants to take up the offer of Prime Minister Deve Gowda for coming forward for a nonconditional talks with the Centre. He was optimistic of a settlement as the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has responded to the offer.