Claiming that the maiden ‘Happening Haryana Global Investors’ Summit-2016’ was a major success, the Chief Minister Manohar lal Khattar on Wednesday said that with 357 MoUs under the belt for a total intended investment of Rs5.84 lakh crore and potential for five lakh jobs, Haryana has become the first State in north India to attract investment of such magnitude.
Brushing aside the reports that the recent Jat agitation had an impact on the maiden investors’ meet, the Chief Minister Manohar lal while addressing a press conference here said that as many as 37 MOUs had been signed for setting up 19 projects with an investment of Rs1.46 lakh crore in the three riot affected districts of Sonepat, Jhajjar and Rohtak.
The Chief Minister said that Jat agitation led to uncertain situation whether to go ahead with the Summit or not but I decided to continue with the event as I had confidence of gaining investors’ support.
The ten-day long Jat agitation had resulted in more than 30 deaths and massive damage to property in Haryana, following which the State Government’s officials were apprehensive of attracting new investments during the maiden summit.
During the Jat quota stir in Haryana, the rioters had set several showrooms, outlets, other business establishments, schools and houses on fire, causing a huge loss in the four districts namely Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat and Panipat in the State.
The Chief Minister added that even after the unfortunate incidents during the Jat stir, the State Government has managed to gain investors confidence during the summit due to its investors’ friendly policies.
Detailing the MOUs, the Chief Minister said that the State Government had signed 357 MoUs including maximum of 117 for manufacturing, during the two-day Summit for a total potential investment of Rs5.84 lakh crore, which far exceeds the expectations of the Government. Investment of this order is expected to generate employment opportunities for about 5 lakh people, he informed.
16 per cent of MoUs had been signed for projects over Rs1,000 crore and 30 per cent for projects over Rs100 crore.
The State Government is keen on converting the MOUs into projects, said the Chief Minister adding that the HSIIDC would appoint relationship managers to facilitate the investors and ensure implementation.
He added that arrangements have also been made for fast-tracking clearances and avoiding any inconvenience to the investors in setting up projects. To facilitate implementation of the projects signed for in MoUs, land would be made available from the developed land bank of 12000 acre. The HSIIDC has also started the system of online geo-referenced display to provide the investors information regarding vacant lands in the Industrial Estates,said he.
He said that all necessary clearances would be granted within 30 days from the date of application.The Chief Minister also announced that the second Summit would be held in 2018.
When asked about the timeframe of implementing the MoUs, he said that the time frame depends on the nature of the project and the State Government would ensure successful implementation of the projects.
He informed that as many as 39 MoUs worth Rs1.28 lakh crore have been signed for the districts which do not fall in the National Capital Region and it shows that the investors are interested in setting up ventures even in the remote areas of Haryana which are otherwise industrially backward.
Out of the total, ten per cent of the MoUs have been signed with multinational companies which underscored the fact that Haryana has become first preferred destination for investment. Moreover, it would result in flow of additional FDI in the State, he added.