The Chhattisgarh State Industrial Development Corporation (CSIDC) has identified Industrial Growth Centre at Siltara near Raipur to be developed as a ‘ Steel Cluster’ under Centre’s ‘Industrial Infrastructure Upgradation Scheme (IIUS), officials stated.
The administrative approval of Rs54.10 crore had been received from the Central government for the scheme.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)-Chhattisgarh Ispat Bhumi ltd., Raipur (CIBl) has been formed under Public-Private Partnership for implementation of the project. The project would be developed by CSIDC.
The objective of the IIUS is to enhance international competitiveness of the domestic industry by providing quality infrastructure through public-private partnership approach in selected functional clusters/locations which have greater potential to become globally competitive.
The CSIDC has also created an Amenities zone in Industrial Area Siltara, Phase-I. The construction of building is completed and the complex has shops, office spaces, ATM kiosk, restaurant etc.
Allotment of spaces for shops and offices are being done. Nearly 60% of 120 spaces have been allotted so far, officials stated.
The complex is situated adjacent to NH-6 (Ring Road 1), this complex is developed on a piece of land measuring 1600 sqmt. Total built up area of the complex is an estimated 3,000 sqm.
It may be recalled that the Chhattisgarh government is also mulling over plans to establish a mega industrial zone at an estimated cost of Rs 177 crore near Raipur.
The industrial zone would be spread over 1730 hectares of land, official stated. The industrial zone would be established for setting up of steel plants, power plants, captive power plants and other core industries.The zone would also be developed by CSIDC.
Also the State Government is setting up an Export Facilitation Centre in Raipur at a cost of Rs7.50 crore.
The Centre is being established under Central government’s Assistance to States for Developing Export Infrastructure & Allied Activities (ASIDE) scheme.
The objective of the scheme is to involve the states in the export effort by providing assistance to the State Governments for creating appropriate infrastructure for the development and growth of exports, the ASIDE guidelines issued to the states mentioned.
The States do not perceive direct gains from the growth in exports from the State. Moreover, the States do not often have adequate resources to participate in funding of infrastructure for exports. The proposed scheme, therefore, intends to establish a mechanism for seeking the involvement of the State Governments in such efforts through assistance linked to export performance, it stated.
Regarding the approval of projects and their implementation, the guidelines stated- ‘There shall be a State-level Export Promotion Committee (SlEPC) headed by the Chief Secretary of the State and consisting of the Secretaries of concerned Departments at the State level and a representative of the States cell of the Department of Commerce (DoC) and the Joint Director General of Foreign Trade posted in that State/region and the Development Commissioners of the SEZ/EPZ in the State as Members.
The SlEPC will scrutinise and approve specific projects and oversee the implementation of the Scheme.
Each State/UT shall appoint/designate one of its officers as Export Commissioner who shall be the convener of SlEPC and with whom DoC will interact on the issues pertaining to ASIDE.
He shall draw up five year and annual export plans for the State/UT in consultation with the trade and industry, the Export Promotion Councils and the DoC, it stated.
The SlEPC will ensure that the proposals will be location specific and selection of location and inter-se prioritising will be done by the SlEPC. For this, SlEPC will draw a list of centres to be focussed for developing export infrastructure over next 2-3 years and a shelf of projects will be kept in advance to take full advantage of this Scheme each year. The list of Centres may be drawn in consultation with Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and other export promotion bodies.
On approval of the proposals by the SlEPC, funds shall be disbursed to the implementing agency of the project by the Nodal Agency.
The State governments are advised to put in place a system for Disbursement of funds by Nodal Agency to Implementing Agency of the project
Before sanctioning new projects, the SlEPC will allocate funds for the likely expenditure of the ongoing projects. The SlEPC will ensure that except in exceptional cases no new project has a gestation period of more than 2 years.
For outlays under the Central component, there shall be an Empowered Committee in the Department of Commerce, headed by the Commerce Secretary and consisting of representatives from the Planning Commission and the respective ministries to consider and sanction the proposals received as per the procedure.
The 20% Central component would be approved as per the delegation of powers under Financial Rules of Government of India. The 80% State component would be approved by the State Government as per the Rules of Business of the State Government, it stated.
The payments made under the scheme will be subject to audit by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India as also by other means as deemed fit by Government of India.
The Centre will cause physical verification and other such enquiries as deemed fit, of the projects sanctioned under the Scheme. The Implementing Agency of each project will see that wherever feasible, users of the infrastructure will pay a service charge for the same, which could meet the expenditure on operation and maintenance of the infrastructure so created, the guidelines stated.