Neeraj Rohmetra
JAMMU, July 29: The State Government has initiated a fresh exercise to identify industrial estates across the State, which comprised mostly sick units that have been lying close for the past some years.
Official sources said that the decision was taken in the crucial meeting of the Industrial Advisory Committee, which was held recently in Srinagar under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
“For better utilization of resources in industrial estate, it had been decided to formulate a Committee, whose purpose would be to identify sick units which had been lying unutilized for the past several years. The Committee would submit its report within one month and recommend steps for better utilization of resources in these estates”, sources asserted.
“The Committee would also recommend on case-to-case basis steps like issuance of notification, review of the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and subsequent cancellation/transfer of various assets, if required”, sources said adding the process of scrutiny of such units had already been set in motion.
“There were nearly 50 such industrial units, which have already been identified and several of them had closed their factories after the Central Government had withdrawn some of the industrial incentives, which had been provided earlier to the State”, sources added.
Another important decision of the meeting was to give relief to the various entrepreneurs, who have set up industrial units in the State and had employed workers from outside the State to run their factories. In a bid to generate more employment, the State Government had made it mandatory for the new industry to employ 90% locals, but the industrialists were get it difficult to get suitable skilled workers.
“Responding to pleas of the industrialists, the State Government has reduced the ratio of mandatory local employment ratio from 90% to 55%. But, the employers shall have to hike the level of local employment by nearly 5% each year and therefore after the seventh year, the level of local employment shall reach to the desired level of 90%”, sources said.
To fill the existing Skill-gap, the meeting also emphasized on the active involvement of private industry in the Skill Development Programme being implemented for enhancing employability of local youth. “The industrialist would need to tie-up with State -run ITIs’ and Polytechnics and act as equal partners in the process of imparting training to youth in skills required in various industrial disciplines.
“The Government was also ready to help industrialists to have tie-ups with ITI institute or Polytechnics, whose students can prove helpful later in their particular area of industrial activity”, sources added.
To boost industrialization in backward and remote areas of the State, the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC) also decided to revive a Committee, to be headed by the State’s Economic Advisor. “The main purpose of this Committee would be to identify the package of incentives to be offered to entrepreneurs working in remote areas of the State and to provide them with necessary infrastructure for better management”, sources added.
A similar Committee had earlier been constituted in the year 2007 under the chairmanship of former Economic Advisor of State, Haseeb Drabu. However, the Committee had failed to make any headway and therefore, the Government has reconstituted the Committee.
“The State Government had also decided to formulate a new Trade Policy for the State after consultations with the concerned stakeholder”, sources asserted.
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