Four days ahead of the end of lockdown-three in Maharashtra, State industries Minister Subhash Desai on Wednesday projected a rosy picture of the industrial activity in the State by saying that 35,000 industrial units had resumed production, while nine lakh workers resumed duty in these units.
Speaking to media persons after reviewing industrial activity at the Aurangabad district collector’s office, Desai said: “We have in all given permission to 65,000 industrial units in various parts of the State. Of them, 35,000 industrial units have resumed production. In all, 9 lakh workers have so far reported for duty”.
The Minister said that a Task Force had been set up a road map for increasing the industrial activity in the State. “The Task Force is preparing a plan to attract foreign investment in the state. The Task force officials have been negotiating with their counterparts from the countries like US, Japan, Tiwan, Germany and United Kingdom”.
“Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has reserved as much as 40000 hectares of land for foreign investors. We are trying to reduce the number of permissions for foreign investments so as to facilitate setting up new industrial units by the international companies,” Desai said.
The Minister said that to ensure that there was no shortage of workers, the departments of Industries and Skill Development would set up employees’ bureau. “We will train the workers in seven days and ready for employment. In this process, we intend to create skilled and unskilled labour on a large scale in the state,” Desai said.