Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) has decided to allow its industrial plot holders in focal points to utilize their premises for warehousing purpose and development of skill development centers, treating it as an industrial activity.
The decision was taken on the directions the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. With this, the State Government has conceded a long-pending demand of various industrial organizations, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Mohali Industries’ Association.
Representatives of various industrial bodies have been seeking liberalization of the policies to treat warehousing and skill development as an industrial activity in the industrial plots developed by PSIEC across the state, said an official spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that the move, which is in line with the Government’s focus on ease of business under its new Industrial and Business Development Policy, will facilitate industrial plot holders to undertake a wide variety of activities which they will be allowed to treat at par with service sector enterprise.
These activities would cover industrial or technical test lab, industrial photography, bulk courier services, blue printing, drawing, or computer designing facilities, research and development in any field, tool room for facilitation of industry, media houses, printing, publishing services, industrial kitchens or catering services, engineering and design services.
The decision will help small industries economize on their operations and manage their affairs more effectively and efficiently by precluding the need for making separate arrangements for warehousing purpose, outside industrial focal points, thereby incurring additional investment.
Notably, the service sector enterprises are providing support to the manufacturing activities in the industrial estates or focal points.
Allowing service sector enterprises in industrial plots would help in providing integrated support services to the entrepreneurs, who would not have to run to other places for procuring secondary facilities, said the spokesperson.
This would naturally accelerate growth of MSMEs, start-ups, facilitate availability of skilled man-power, and bring synergy between manufacturing and service sector operations, he added.