Goa govt set to unfold industrial policy

PANAJI: Goa''s Bharatiya Janata Party led government is all set to unfold its Mission paper on industrial policy with a clear emphasis on employment generation for the benefit of the local and linking the same with tourism and traditional occupations. The new industrial policy will also have a special package for reviving sick small scale industry which it believes to be the major employer as also incentives for investors post Value Added Tax(VAT) regime which is expected to rob Goa of some of the on-going incentives for the investors in the state. Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told The Economic Times , the policy of my government will be, it is better to be slow and steady in industrial investment rather than having indiscriminate and unplanned industrial growth. The state''s interests vis-Ã -vis its unemployed youth has already been hurt enough by unplanned industrialisation of the past. The tiny state which witnessed unplanned industrial growth post liberation today has over 150 medium and large-scale industries and close to 7000 small-scale industries. In addition, 33 new projects have been cleared in the last two years, though only six among them have actually been commissioned so far. The five-year income tax holiday coupled with sales tax holiday had been a major attraction for holiday hunters besides availability of land, power and water at a much lower rates. However, it is the grievance of the state that much of the industrialization over the years turned into an apology of industry where many of the investors merely swallowed huge investment subsidies and cornered wasting the scarce land. Several such units have duped state''s financial institution EDC Ltd, several have closed the shutters rendering several hundreds jobless. Moreover, indiscriminate industrialization allowed ferro alloy units which local unemployed force does not find suitable for their jobs. The Chief Minister would now prefer to bring industry only after creating the local manpower rather than promoting any kind of industry that would continue influx of population into the tiny state which eventually invites social stress and huge pressure on state''s limited resources. He would also prefer to halt the fast flow of people from rural to urban centers in search of jobs. With that in mind, Mr. Parrikar says, A job retained is a job gained'' is our new slogan as we plan to promote traditional occupations and agriculture in the countryside while concentrating only on tourism, pharma, InfoTech and Biotech. To make local employment seekers feet for IT industry, he has been trying to increase the computer education in the state in a big way by increasing the computer availability among the students at higher secondary level by means of schemes like cyberage where free computer is provided at home for the students. Goa is also the state with almost full coverage of schools with computer education. Considering the fact that some of the industries like housing and construction has been largely instrumental in leading to heavy influx of migrant labour into the state inviting problems like slums and diseases like Malaria, the government is thinking of seeking to support mechanization in such industry which does not employ local force by providing special incentives. To restore the traditional artisanship and other agro-based occupations that have been on the wane on account of neglect, the government has also identified around 20 such products which will be supported with a marketing network through state-owned corporations.

Goa govt set to unfold industrial policy

Goa's Bharatiya Janata Party led government is all set to unfold its "Mission paper on industrial policy" with a clear emphasis on employment generation for the benefit of the local and linking the same with tourism and traditional occupations.

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