Haryana CM promises all support to potential investors

Gurgaon, March 7: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday promised entrepreneurs and potential investors in the state all out support by the government in their ventures and assured ease of doing business.

He also hinted at some major economic policy reforms to give a leg-up to industrialisation and economy in Haryana.

"I promise that you will never find my government hesitating or wanting, in going the extra mile to support your ventures. Our enterprises promotion policy, 2015, is just a beginning," Khattar said while delivering the keynote address on the opening day of the two-day 'Happening Haryana Global Investors Summit' here.

"We have planned some major economic policy reforms in the coming days," he said.

When the summit was conceived five months ago, a target of attracting an investment of Rs.1 lakh crore in Haryana was set, as per the enterprise promotion policy announced on August 11, last year.

"I am told by the state chief secretary that the commitments so far have already exceeded this target by 200 percent," he added.

Khattar said his government planned to amend the Factories Act as well as the Payment of Wages Act to facilitate certain categories of businesses and remove anachronistic conditions.

Listing key initiatives taken by his government to make things easy for investors, he said Haryana had already ended the uncertainty over future enhancements in the cost of industrial plots, launched e-biz portal, introduced automatic change of land use in 75 development blocks in the state, done away with the CLU requirement in 31 blocks, and set up three-tier grievance redressal system for both existing and new investors.

With only 1.34 percent of India's geographical area and only 2.09 percent of its population, Haryana contributes 3.51 percent to India's gross domestic product and 4.2 percent to its exports, the chief minister said.

He thanked representatives from China, Czech Republic, Japan, Mauritius, Malawi, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Spain, Tunisia, UK, and Ontario province of Canada for participating in the summit.

"We intend to pass in the coming assembly session the Haryana Enterprises Promotion Bill, 2016," he said and sought entrepreneurs' comments and suggestions for its improvement.

IANS