Gujarat govt clears industrial projects worth over Rs 2,999 crore
Gandhinagar, July 27
The Gujarat government on Monday approved a series of industrial projects involving investments of more than Rs 2,999 crore under various incentive schemes, with the proposals expected to strengthen manufacturing, industrial infrastructure and employment generation across the state.
The approvals were granted during a series of high-level committee meetings chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Industries Minister Harsh Sanghavi.
According to the state government, the projects form part of its industrial incentive framework, which includes support for large industries, textile manufacturing and industrial park development.
The government said the approved proposals are expected to generate more than 6,100 direct jobs.
The largest set of approvals came under the Industrial Policy-2015, through which the committee responsible for granting Final Eligibility Certificates to large industries cleared 32 applications with a combined capital investment of Rs 1,978.04 crore.
These projects are expected to create around 4,739 direct jobs. The approved investments span several sectors and districts. Ahmedabad accounted for Rs 528.49 crore of investment across the automobile, metal, cement and concrete sectors.
Morbi followed with Rs 480.16 crore in ceramic, chemical, paper and plastic manufacturing, while Kutch received approvals worth Rs 332.71 crore in the metal sector.
Mehsana secured Rs 301.16 crore for plastic and metal projects, Vadodara with Rs 102.94 crore in chemicals, Sabarkantha with Rs 110.42 crore in ceramics, Surat with Rs 74.49 crore across textile, pharmaceutical and metal sectors, Gandhinagar with Rs 35.41 crore in metals and Bharuch with Rs 12.26 crore in the metal sector.
"The Industrial Policy-2015, launched under the 'Incentives to Industries' scheme, provides eligible industrial units with Net SGST refund or assistance. Since the policy was introduced, Gujarat has attracted investments worth Rs 1,48,336.35 crore and generated 1,65,053 direct jobs," officials said.
They added that the policy has also supported the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and contributed to the development of an industry-friendly ecosystem in the state.
A separate committee also approved one project under the Capital Subsidy Scheme for Large Industries and Thrust Sectors. The project, involving an investment of Rs 649.23 crore, is expected to create around 871 direct jobs.
The government said the investment would further strengthen Gujarat's industrial ecosystem while generating both direct and indirect employment.
In another decision, the seventh meeting of the State-Level Empowered Committee under the Scheme for Assistance to Strengthen Specific Sectors in the Textile Value Chain-2019 approved assistance for three textile units.
Together, the projects are expected to bring investments of Rs 165 crore and generate around 500 direct jobs. Under the scheme, eligible textile units receive interest subsidy and power tariff subsidy.
The government said the three approved units would receive assistance exceeding Rs 50 crore over the next five years. The state government also approved four projects under the Industrial Park Assistance Scheme of the Gujarat Industrial Policy-2020.
These projects involve investments of more than Rs 371.70 crore for the development of industrial parks aimed at strengthening the state's industrial infrastructure.
The meetings were attended by Minister of State for Industries, Dr Jayram Gamit; Additional Chief Secretaries Jayanti Ravi, T. Natarajan and Mamta Verma, other senior IAS officers and Gujarat Chamber of Commerce Industry (GCCI) President Sandeep Engineer.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Kutch getting Rs 332 crore in metals is interesting – that's a big push for the region. But I'm concerned about environmental impact. Metal industries are polluting. Hope proper safeguards are in place. Also, Morbi's ceramics sector already facing issues with pollution; need to check if new projects follow norms.
Rs 1,48,336 crore since 2015! That's massive. But why are we still giving subsidies to large industries? Shouldn't they be self-sustaining? The SGST refund scheme seems like a tax giveaway. I'd rather see that money go to education or healthcare. But jobs are jobs, so can't complain too much.🤷♂️
Impressive numbers from Gujarat again. The industrial park scheme is smart – shared infrastructure reduces costs for everyone. But 6100 jobs across all these projects seems low for Rs 3000 crore investment. That's about Rs 50 lakh per job. Is that efficient? In China, similar investments create 2-3x more employment. Room for improvement.
Finally some positive news amidst all the negativity! Morbi's ceramic sector getting Rs 480 crore is good – but I hope the workers there get better wages and safety standards. Remember the Morbi bridge collapse? We need accountability alongside investment. Still, happy to see Gujarat leading in industrial development. ✨
Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi is doing good work. But I'm curious – textile sector gets separate subsidies too. Are we over-subsidizing? Shouldn't market forces decide? Also, why only
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.