Kher says industrial policy next week, with green focus

At a session that marked the first year in office of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, local MP Kirron Kher announced on Tuesday that the Chandigarh industrial policy “is expected to be out next week”.

Raising expectations of industrialists who have been demanding permissions for more types of industry, she said, “The policy, which is in the last stage of finalisation, would put huge impetus on green and nonpolluting industries, including IT (information technology) and ITeS (IT-enabled service), BPOs and KPOs (business and knowledge process outsourcing), skilling, light engineering, electronics, design, tourism and clean energy.”

“Hence these sectors have huge potential in the city in the coming years, as we have planned to make Chandigarh fully digital very soon,” she added.

Also at the session, Union minister of state for finance Jayant Sinha said the first year of the Narendra Modi-led regime had been “an incredible year for India”. He also announced that the Reserve Bank of India can be expected to reduce the interest rates in June.

“Our major achievement has been the restoring of macro-economic fiscal stability and reviving the investor confidence in India,” Sinha claimed.

Shreekant Somany, chairman of CII northern region, shared CII initiatives too, both independent and in partnership with the governments.

Industrialists have reputably — awaiting an industrial policy that has been in the works for nearly a decade—underlined their key demand of having the Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006, implemented in Chandigarh, so that the definition of industry can be changed to ‘enterprise’ to include a host of activities besides just manufacturing.

“We have high hopes from the policy as we want it to address market realities, also aspirations of all segments,” said Pankaj Khanna, a member of the MSMED committee of the Industries Association of Chandigarh.