The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and a BJP MP today requested Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to set up a Gorkhaland Financial Development Corporation to provide soft loans and other incentives to prospective investors in the GTA area.
S S Ahluwalia, BJP MP from Darjeeling, along with a GTA delegation led by the body's Executive Member, Roshan Giri, called on Jaitley in Delhi and put forward the request.
Speaking over phone, Ahluwalia said, "There is a provision in the GTA memorandum of agreement which states that the GTA can take up issues of providing tax holidays. Accordingly, we have requested the Finance Minister to provide special incentives to investors in tourism, agro industry, IT and electronics industry and also grant subsidies and tax waivers for the region."
Ahluwalia said the Gorkhaland Financial Development Corporation was aimed at facilitating soft loans to investors.
"The corporation will play a role in providing soft loans as well as various grants to prospective investors in the GTA area. The topic was discussed at length with the Finance Minister and the response to the proposal has been good," said the Darjeeling MP.
Asked if the GTA had discussed the matter with the state government, Ahluwalia said, "This has already been agreed upon in the agreement which has been signed both by the Centre and the state government. We are sure that the Centre will discuss the matter with the state government."
Providing tax exemption and subsidies to investors on the lines of benefits extended to eight states of the North Eastern Council has been a long standing demand of the GTA.
Ahluwalia said the GTA delegation, which had met Union Human Resources Development minister Smriti Irani in Delhi yesterday with a demand to set up a Central university in the hills, took up the matter with the Finance department today.
"We sought financial support to set up the central university. The response to this demand has also been positive," he said.
