*Panel framed to complete exercise meets only once
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 15: Despite making announcement in the State Budget, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government is all set to miss the deadline fixed for finalization of new Industrial Policy as huge exercise is yet to be carried out and a high-level committee constituted to give final shape to the draft policy has met only once that too on the day it was supposed to accomplish the task.
During its first budget presented on March 22, 2015, the PDP-BJP Coalition Government on the floor of the State Legislature made an announcement that the new Industrial Policy would come up on July 1, 2015 and till the announcement of new policy, the existing incentives and remissions will continue unless modified otherwise.
This was necessitated as the existing Industrial Policy, which was formulated in the year 2004 for a period of 10 years, was all set to be lapsed on March 31, 2015 and no step was initiated for preparation of new Industrial Policy for a further period of 10 years.
Keeping in view the Budget announcement, vide Government Order No.61-Ind of 2015 dated March 31, 2015, sanction was accorded to the extension of the existing Industrial Policy for a further period of three months beyond March 31, 2015 up to June 30, 2015.
Vide this order, the Government announced that all modifications, procedures and instructions issued by the Industries and Commerce Department from time to time for implementation in pursuance of Government Order No. Ind of 2004 dated January 27, 2004, shall remain in force.
Thereafter, some department level exercise was carried out and from the beginning of current month, the Finance and Industries Ministers started holding interactions with industrialists and other stakeholders so as to solicit their suggestions and incorporate the same in the draft Industrial Policy. During these interactions, it was announced that new Industrial Policy would come up on July 1 strictly as per the announcement made in the Budget.
On June 8, the General Administration Department vide Order No.766 constituted a high-level committee to finalize the draft State Industrial Policy-2015. The committee headed by Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce Department and comprising of Administrative Secretaries of Planning, Finance, Power and Information Technology Departments, Commissioner Commercial Taxes Department and Directors of Industries of Kashmir and Jammu was asked to finalize the draft policy by or before June 15, 2015.
However, the committee met only once that too today when it was supposed to accomplish the task assigned to it, official sources told EXCELSIOR. Moreover, Administrative Secretaries of Power, Finance and Information Technology Departments could not participate in the proceedings of the committee because of their other engagements.
Due to this, no major headway could be made towards finalization of draft Industrial Policy and now this committee would seek extension in time for accomplishment of task, sources said, adding “even after extension in time this committee would not be able to finalize the draft Industrial Policy before June 30 as from June 18 onwards the District Development Board meetings would be convened. Since all the District Development Board meetings would be chaired by the Chief Minister, the Administrative Secretaries, who are the members of the committee, would remain busy there”.
They disclosed that even after the accomplishment of the task by the committee headed by Financial Commissioner Industries and Commerce much exercise would have to be conducted. From this committee, the draft Industrial Policy would go to the Finance and Planning Departments for final decision on various components of the policy in consultation with the Ministers concerned and thereafter the policy would be placed before the Cabinet for final approval, sources said.
“In such circumstances, the Government would have to further extend the applicability of the existing Industrial Policy beyond June 30 so as to pave the way for finalization of comprehensive new Industrial Policy”, sources further said.
About some broad contours of the draft new Industrial Policy, they informed that major focus of new policy would be on those districts which have yet not come on the industrial map. “The State would be divided into two categories. In first category, districts having proper industrial network would be kept while as in the second category districts lagging behind in industrial growth would be placed”, they added.
“The objective behind categorization of districts would be to ensure much needed focus on those districts which have failed to come up on industrial map till date”, sources further said, adding “in order to give required fillip to industrial growth in such districts, some additional incentives or concessions are proposed to be announced”.
The new policy would also lay focus on ensuring availability of raw material, skilled manpower and market in the districts to be placed in the second category, sources further said while disclosing that since Government wants to encourage educated unemployed youth of the State towards industrialization, all the aspects are being examined in minute details.
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