Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh has allotted 840 acres of land to 384 industrial units in the past 17 months, with an estimated investment of Rs 11,000 crore, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said.
"In the past 17 months, 840 acres of land has been allotted to 384 units despite the coronavirus pandemic. With this, Rs 11,000 crore capital investment will be made and 22,000 people will get employment," according to an official statement quoting Chouhan.
The chief minister was addressing a function after laying the foundation stone of Gokuldas Exports Ltd, a readymade garments unit with an investment of Rs 110 crore in Bhopal's Acharpura Industrial Area's Textile Park on Monday.
Chouhan also said, "Despite the circumstances of the coronavirus crisis in the state, there has been an increase of 48 per cent in the number of industrial units, 32 per cent in land allocation, 33 per cent in capital investment and 38 per cent in employment generation in the state." He said the unit proposed by Gokuldas Exports will be built on 10 acres of land. A capital investment of Rs 110 crore will be made by the company, in which employment will be available to more than 4,000 local people. Also, more than three-fourths of the employees in the plant will be women.
Overall, about 10,000 people are expected to get employment from this unit itself.
Acharpura Industrial Area has been developed on a 146-hectare land. There are 154 plots in Textile Park, Acharpura, in which there is a potential for capital investment of Rs 800 crore for setting up industries.
Besides Chouhan, the state's Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Minister Rajvardhan Singh Dattigaon, Medical Education Minister Vishvas Sarang, BJP MLA (Berasia) Vishnu Khatri, Managing Director of Gokuldas Exports Shivram Krishna Ganapati and senior officials were present on the occasion.
Chouhan further said the state has taken a long leap in ease of doing business. The state now ranks fourth in the country.
"It is our endeavour that Madhya Pradesh should be in the top-three in the next ranking.
"Steps like 'Start Your Business in Thirty Days' have been taken to encourage the establishment of industries in the state. All the activities related to the establishment of industries are being conducted from a single window," he said.
Chouhan also added that labour-intensive industries are being promoted in the state to create maximum employment opportunities. Investment in industries like pharma, auto, textile and garments, food-processing, and engineering products are being encouraged.
Referring to the availability of the large land parcels, Chouhan said the huge land bank is available for industries, in which 30,000 acres of developed land and 33,664 acres of undeveloped land is also available for industrial areas.
The managing director of Gokuldas Exports said their products are exported to many countries, including America, the UK and Japan.
