Puducherry to boost industrial development

The Puducherry government will accord priority to rapid industrialisation with the primary objective of generating job opportunities and economic development.

It is keen to attract non-polluting and less water consuming industries to set up their shops in the Union Territory, according chief minister N Rangasamy.

He said that the government would provide assistance to non-polluting industries such as IT and components manufacturing, among others to set up their operations in Puducherry.

He was addressing business leaders from five southern states participating at the Confederation of Indian Industry regional council meeting held in Puducherry on Saturday.

Recent decades have seen Puducherry emerging as an industrial centre. "From housing just three textile mills a few decades ago, the Union Territory is home to about 8,000 business units and about one lakh jobs have been created during these periods," he said, adding that the UT was expecting growth of about 14 per cent during this year.

Rangasamy pointed out that the government was keen on creating job opportunities for the 2,000-plus science and engineering graduates coming out of Puducherry's educational institutions every year.