 "Bengal govt matches power tariff in industrial parks with DVC rate")
In an effort to make state-run industrial parks attractive to investors, the West Bengal government has reduced power tariff to match it with the rate of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) in all such facilities.
The power tariff of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company is higher by around Rs 3 per unit as compared to the DVC rate and this was a major concern for investors, planning to set up projects in the jurisdiction of the state government utility.
In areas where DVC also supplies power, we have matched the tariff of power supplied by WBSEDCL. All state government industrial parks, like the ones at Raghunathpur and Panagarh, will get the benefit as of now, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation chairman Rajiva Sinha said at an interactive session with members of Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
An industrialist said the difference in the cost of power was raising viability questions for energy-intensive projects like iron and steel.
The top official of the state nodal agency for investment in the state expects to complete the makeover of the Silpa Sathi' website soon and turn it into a single-window application gateway for projects.
Sinha expressed hope that the Tajpur deep sea port project contract process will be completed by
March.
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The last date for submission of the final bid is January 31.
Many national and international bidders have expressed interest in the project.
Sinha emphasised that MSMEs should secure patents for their unique processes and products for greater recognition and market access.
Only having several MSMEs in the state is not enough. We want to empower and encourage MSMEs to secure patents for their processes and products for which the state government will provide a subsidy of up to Rs 5 lakh, Sinha said.