Himachal Government on Thursday requested the Union Commerce Ministry to enhance the limit of capital investment subsidy from present Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh to facilitate development in the State.
The demand was made by State Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri who called on Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma, at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi. Agnihotri also thanked the Union Minister for restoring the capital subsidy and transport subsidy to the industrial units of the State.
Agnihotri said that the Union Government had agreed in principal to sanction funding amounting to Rs one hundred crore for six ASIDE projects of the State and the State Government had already submitted detailed project reports of all these projects.
He thanked the Union Minister for sanctioning a sum of Rs 15.15 crore for improvement and strengthening of road network from Ajouli to Santokhgarh and Tahliwal industrial area upto laluwal and requested him to sanction a sum of Rs 165 crore for various infrastructural development projects.
He told that the state government would provide suitable land for setting up regional centre of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Shimla costing Rs 50 crore. The Minister said that the State Government would also provide suitable land for setting up Spice Park at Nadaun and Agriculture University Palampur has agreed to transfer ten acre of land for the purpose. "The issue of lease money between Spice Board and Agriculture University would be settled at the earliest in the larger public interest of the state, he added. Industries Minister also requested the Union Minister to provide adequate funds for development of new industrial areas in Una, Shimla and Solan districts for facilitating the setting up new industries.
He thanked the Union Minister for announcement regarding opening of Regional centre of Tea Board at Palampur and regarding pilot project for coffee plantation in the state. He said that the State Government had already sent the proposal regarding the opening of vegetable packaging and processing Centers at Solan and Nagrota Bagwan. and told that suitable land for these centers would be selected soon.
Sharma appreciated the issues raised by the state government and told that the Union Government would take positive view of the issues in time bound manner.