Punjab has central nod for just 1 industrial cluster; Haryana has 7
Director asks industrialists not to indulge in internal politics, instead benefit from schemes
CLUSTERS ARE FORMED TO BUY MACHINERY, SET UP INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMMON USE FOR SMALLSCALE INDUSTRIES THROUGH GOVT GRANTS
LUDHIANA: Punjab has only one cluster approved under the micro and small enterprises cluster development scheme of the Union ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), lagging far behind its neighbouring Haryana which has got seven clusters approved.
Punjab director, industries and commerce DPS Kharbanda, who held a meeting with the representatives of industry and government departments, disclosed this here on Friday.
A cluster is a common platform created by a group of enterprises with due approval from the Centre which issues them grants to develop infrastructure and buy machinery for common use, especially when small-scale industries are not in a situation to purchase expensive equipment. Common facilities are set up for testing, training, effluent treatment, complementing production processes besides raw material storage.
Southern state of Tamil Nadu is at top with 30 working clusters, Kharbanda said.
He said it is not a happy situation for Ludhiana, which despite being an industrial hub, does not have a single cluster approved from the Centre and the only cluster approved from Punjab is in Mohali.
Sources said the scheme is in the state since 2006 but till now only one cluster has got the approval.
Nine proposed clusters from Ludhiana were discussed at the meeting. They are oil expeller manufacturers’ cluster, wire drawing cluster, tractor parts cluster, Ludhiana bicycle and engineering park, sheet metal parts manufacturers association, hand tool cluster, sewing machine cluster, knitted outwear cluster, printing and packaging cluster.
Kharbanda invited the industry representatives to put forward the problems being faced by them and their consultants in getting the clusters approved.
Kharbanda said that ₹15 crore is given by the Union ministry under the programme to each cluster for the establishment of common facility centre for a particular sector. Following the establishment of centre, the micro and small scale industrialists will get the benefit of updated technology and machinery.
Kharbanda said the process of approving clusters was delayed in the last few years but now serious efforts are being made and the department has now set a target of getting 20 clusters approved for Punjab in the next three-four months. Out of these 7-9 clusters will be from Ludhiana, 11 will be from Jalandhar. They are working to come up with other clusters from different parts of the state, he said.
He said during the meeting with the industrialists, they have set deadlines for the project and the industry department officials have also been asked to keep tabs on the situation.
He also participated in the meeting of the R&D bicycle and sewing machine centre. He discussed the problems being faced by the centre and also what steps can be taken to improve the facility. Kharbanda also urged the industrialists to keep aside internal politics and work for the betterment of industry. It came to the fore during the meeting that different associations of the bicycle industry are working to get the things done in their own ways.