MK to meet assns of industry, commerce on New Industrial Policy

Chennai, Aug 4: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi will meet the associations of Industry and Commerce next month to elicit their views for including in the New Industrial Policy to be announced this year.

This was disclosed by Chief Secretary L K Tripathy, while delivering the special address on State Integrated Infrastructure Promotion -- Invest Tamil Nadu, at Suminfra 2006, organised by the CII here last evening.

The interaction was to discuss the problems faced by the Industry and to draw up plans to attract more investments. "Your concerns and ideas will get incorporated in the new policy, he added.

The government, in its budget, had announced that apart from the new Industrial policy, a Special Task Force would be constituted.

The Task Force, to be headed by the Chief Minister, with the participation of the representatives of Industry and commerce associations, would resolve the problems in the industries and ensure hassle free growth.

Mr Tripathy said the government would definitely push through projects under the PPP mode. "Once you decide on the project, you can expect good support from the government. It will be cleared under the Single Window System", he added.

Wooing the investors to invest in Tamil Nadu, he welcomed investments in the power sector. "We are looking at capacity addition, looking at the requirements of five to ten years down the road", he added.

In his address, State Industries Secretary Shaktikanta Das said the new Industrial Policy was aimed at creating an enabling and efficient environment to promote more private investments, including under the PPP mode. The Task Force was under various stages of implementation and it would provide an opportunity for the industry to directly interact with the Chief Minister.

Stating that the setting up Mahindra World City on the East Coast Road by the Tamil Nadu Road Development Corporation and the development of the IT corridor were a shining example of PPP mode, Mr Das said the state would provide enormous opportunities in setting up Industrial Parks, IT parks, SEZ's, Industrial Corridor of Excellence and Satellite towns.

The Human Resource Infrastructure was one of the critical component and the CII had done mapping of skills on HR in Tamil Nadu and had made a series of recommendations, which were under consideration.

Tamil Nadu was in the forefront of getting new investments because of quality skill and HR. "More than the physical infrastructure like roads and ports, the HR infrastrcuture and quality skills helps in attracting more invesments".

In this context, Mr Das said the industry could chip in by upgrading the skills in technical institutes to develop HR infrastructure.

UNI