After amending the hill industrial policy for remote and backward regions, the Uttarakhand government has decided to launch efforts to attract fresh investments in the hilly region.
For this , Chief Minister B C Khanduri would visit Srinagar and Bheemtal this week to hold discussions with investors and take on the spot assessment of the industrial scenario there.
“After amending the policy catering to the needs of the hills, we are now focusing our entire efforts to bring new investments in the hills,” said Principal Secretary Industrial development Rakesh Sharma.
Industries Association of Uttarakhand President (IAU) Pankaj Gupta, along with other industrialists would also accompany Khanduri to Srinagar and Bheemtal.
Last month, government amended the hill development policy extending benefits till 2025 and also decided to set up 11 new industrial hubs complete with modern infrastructure. "We are giving reasons to the industries to set up their units in the hilly regions and promote entrepreneur skills," said Sharma adding the government would also prepare separate plans for boosting infrastructure facilities in the remote areas for promoting industrialisation.
Though the hill policy had attracted over Rs 220 crore in terms of investments during the past three years, it failed to entice manufacturing units in the remote areas mainly due to poor connectivity and bad infrastructure. Under the new amendment, the benefits of the policy, which was brought in 2008 by Khanduri for a period of 10 years, would now be available till 2025 although with some riders.
The limit of the capital subsidy on building, plant and machinery has now been doubled to Rs 60 lakh.
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The industries going for sizeable expansion either by investing 25 percent of the total investment or increasing the production output by more than 25 percent would also be entitled for all the benefits.
The government has also decided to set up 11 new industrial hubs in the hilly region and create high-level infrastructure there. The State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL) which is credited for heavy industrialisation in the plains, has been roped in to develop these 11 new industrial hubs in the hills. All these hubs will be set up at the district headquarters of the respective districts and provided with all modern infrastructure facilities.
In the new amendments, Sahaspur and Raipur areas of Dehradun district and Haldwani and Ramnagar areas of Nainital district have been included in the hill area category where all the promotional benefits will be available.
In yet another significant move, the district industrial centres (DICs) have now been entrusted with the job of providing pollution certificates to industries in order to save time.