Chief Minister B C Khanduri has assured a delegation of the Industries Association of Uttarakhand (IAU), headed by its president Pankaj Gupta, that he would look into the demand for providing sops under the Special Hill Industrial Policy 2008 to the existing industries in the state.
The IAU delegation met the chief minister on Sunday and stressed the need for a fresh district-wise survey, to explore the possibility of setting up new industries and utilise the local resources for new ventures in the hills.
The delegation also urged Khanduri to expedite the construction of hydel projects for creating uninterrupted supply of power in the state.
The IAU also asked the chief minister to explore the possibility of establishing gas- and coal-based power projects in the state. Anil Goyal, general secretary, IAU, asked for frequent meetings between the government and the industrialists, for encouraging industrialisation in the state.
Renewing the demand for the extension of the concessional industrial package (CIP), Khanduri said he was strongly in favour of extension of tax breaks for a total period of 10 years in the state.
Khanduri said he had already called for the extension of the CIP till 2013, during his recent meetings in New Delhi with the central government.
Significantly, for the past two years, Khanduri has been pitching for the extension of the industrial package.
From April 1, the government has also notified the special hill industrial scheme for a period of 10 years by doling out a series of sops. Following the special tax holiday scheme of January 2003, an industrial boom was witnessed in Uttarakhand, where top notch companies like Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, Nestle, Mahindra and Mahindra, Britannia and LG had set up new units to take the benefits of the various tax incentives given by the Centre.