Mumbai, Jan 23 (IANS) Looking to attract FDI, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met US Consul General Mike Hankey and Consul General of Russia Ivan Y. Fetisov on investment possibilities in sectors related to health, education, IT and tourism, an official said on Thursday.
In the second leg of the investment meet in Mumbai, Chhattisgarh has attracted Rs 6,000 crore investment through various industrial proposals by leading companies focusing on plastic, textile, IT, food processing sectors.
The highest amount of investment proposal of Rs 2,367 crore came from Ambuja Cement, an official statement mentioned.
The Chief minister said that since the launch of the new industrial policy, the state has attracted Rs 1 lakh crore investments from the Investor Connect meet organised in Raipur, Delhi and Mumbai.
Key industrialists from both India and abroad engaged in detailed discussions with Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai to explore investment opportunities in the state, the statement said.
The discussions were focused on exploring potential investments that will boost the state’s industrial growth and create thousands of employment opportunities. Investors from various sectors showed keen interest in setting up business in the state, it said.
Highlighting features of the state’s new Industrial Policy for 2024-30, Chief Minister Sai stated that to make the policy the preferred choice for investors, they have adopted the motto “Minimum Governance, Maximum Incentives.”
Under this approach, the process for obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs) has been streamlined, and clearances are now processed through a single-window system, offering significant relief to investors.
He highlighted that, to boost investment and employment opportunities, industries with investments of Rs 1,000 crore or those employing 1,000 people are eligible for the Bespoke Policy.
This policy includes provisions for permanent capital investment ranging from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, with amounts between Rs 200 crore and Rs 450 crore. Additionally, attractive incentives have been introduced for net SGST reimbursement, employment and EPF reimbursement, as well as reimbursement for training expenses for a period of 5 to 12 years, the statement said.
The Chief Minister highlighted that the state has introduced attractive provisions for investments in emerging industries such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Computing, and Green Hydrogen.
He also announced the launch of a new data center in Nava Raipur, further bolstering the city’s transformation into an IT hub. Several IT companies have already started operations in the area. Nava Raipur, being a modern, well-equipped, and well-organized Greenfield city, offers abundant opportunities for the growth of the IT industry.
In addition to this, special concessions have been provided in sectors like electronics, pharmaceuticals, textiles, food, and agro-processing. A major step in this direction is the establishment of a pharmaceutical park in Nava Raipur, which is set to become the largest pharmaceutical park in Central India.
The Chief Minister further shared plans to establish a new industrial area spanning 118 acres in the village of Niyanar, near the Nagarnar Steel Plant in Bastar. This new industrial hub will create significant opportunities for the development of small, micro, and medium enterprises on a large scale.
The Chief Minister emphasised that Bastar and Surguja have been designated as the highest-priority regions for industrial investment promotion.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Minister of the Industries Department Lakhan Lal Dewangan, Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh Amitabh Jain, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rahul Bhagat, Secretary of the Industries Department Rajat Kumar, Investment Commissioner of Chhattisgarh in New Delhi Ritu Sain and Managing Director of CSIDC Vishwesh Kumar.
–IANS
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