UP districts vying to attract investment
Officials trying to convince investors about suitability of sites in their districts
▪ LUCKNOW: With a number of industrialists and entrepreneurs showing interest in setting up their projects, most districts are vying to get investment ahead of the UP Investors’ Summit 2018 being organised here on February 21 and 22.
Besides the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) industrial areas, the investors also have the option of setting up projects in other districts.
The role of district magistrates is becoming crucial in such cases and the officers are also not only trying to convince the new investors about suitability of sites in their districts but they are also getting in touch with existing industrial units to come up with expansion plans.
“Yes, the district magistrates are literally vying to get investment to their respective districts. I have interacted with the district magistrates through video conferencing and their response to the UP Investors Summit 2018 has been overwhelming,” said infrastructure and industrial development commissioner (IIDC) Anoop Chandra Pandey.
The state government has already implemented the one district one product scheme. With this, the state government will do all that is necessary to brand a product for every district.
To ensure that the investors who already have units in the state give a positive message about UP to outsiders, the DMs were asked to hold meetings of district Udyog Bandhus every month so that all their problems were resolved ahead of the summit.
“I have asked the district magistrates to hold meetings of the district Udyog Bandhu every month to resolve their problems. UP’s industrialists are our brand ambassadors and their problems have to be taken care of. They may have expansion plans. The DMs have also been asked to meet investors and take them to the site for which the proposal for investment has been made. The DMs have also been asked to work out a list of land banks in their respective districts and pro- vide a list to enable the investors to identify a suitable site for their projects,” said Pandey.
The UP investors’ summit is the first major attempt by chief minister Yogi Adityanath to show his government’s investment-friendly face.
The event is being billed as an attempt to bring UP back on the path of development. Over the years, UP has been categorised as a ‘BIMARU’ state despite having 16.5% of the country’s population, 7.3% of the area and having elected nine Prime Ministers from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Narendra Modi.
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UP’s industrialists are our brand ambassadors and their problems have to be taken care of.
ANOOP CHANDRA PANDEY, infrastructure and industrial development commissioner
EARLIER, THE SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE FACILITY WAS AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WERE INVESTING RS 50 CRORE OR MORE IN THE STATE.