Central Govt approval to 2,096 IEMs: Deshmukh

Pune, Sep 30 (UNI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh here today said the Central Government has given approval to 2,096 Industrial Entrepreneurs Memorandum (IEM), which involves investment of Rs 36,890 crore generating employment for 3,16,197 people.

Addressing the 72nd Annual General Meeting of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), Pune Chapter here, the Chief Minister said as many as 1,086 project have started production with an investment of Rs 12,933 crore and creating of over one lakh jobs. Like wise, the Government has also given Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approvals to 753 projects with an investment of Rs 6,423 crore, out of which 361 projects started their production and brought Rs 3,504 crore FDI.

Labour law reform, Self certification scheme, simplification of the procedure of statutory clearances, permissions, single window clearance are some of the government initiatives to create conducive hassle-free business environment in the new proactive industry policy, the Chief Minister added.

Calling Pune as a leading industrial region in the state, Chief Minister Deshmukh said, ''With more than Rs 6,000 crore software exports, the city is slowly becoming the hub of huge Information Technology-IT enabled Services (IT-ITeS), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) investments and at the pace the day is not far away when it will be able to get the status of 'IT Capital' of the country.

He also said the state government envisages setting up a web-enabled Business Facilitation Portal (Udyog Setu) that would act as an integrated Single Window, Guidance and Clearance system for industrial and business ventures, to provide time-bound services of various departments and agencies of the State Government through single window.

''We have started 'Udyog Setu' in the District Industries Centre, Thane on a pilot basis. We have always been willing to adopt constructive suggestions of industry in this direction. We propose to start the service of Udyog Setu throughout the state,'' said the CM. Within the State Government, linking upto Block Level Offices throughout the state through Wide Area Network (WAN) is being undertaken. All Regional and District headqharters are on WAN.

Therefore, the e-governance initiatives will support the plans to operationalise an on-line portal, which will reduce the need for business and industry to approach a large number of offices for registrations, clearances and filing of returns, he added. UNI DWN GB DKS RN1921