Pondy govt to unveil slew of concessions to attract industrial entrepreneurs: Minister

Puducherry Home and Industries Minister A Namassivayam told the Assembly during question time on Thursday that the territorial government would soon unveil a slew of concessions and sops to attract entrepreneurs to set up industries in the Union Territory.

The Minister was responding to concerns expressed earlier by members of both the ruling and opposition blocks over what they termed as a ''delay in sanctioning approval and providing facilities for entrepreneurs intending to set up industries''.

GST compensation and concessions in power tariffs and subsidies are among the sops planned, the Minister said.

''Already Chief Minister N Rangaswamy had announced in his budget presented in the House on March 13 that industries with an investment of more than Rs 100 crore would get special subsidy,'' Namassivayam added.

There are also plans to improve infrastructure, he said, talking about re-laying the roads in industrial estates in Puducherry and in Polagam village in Karaikal.

Namassivayam said the previous (Congress) government had failed to implement the industrial policy of 2016 and that it had left things in disarray. ''We will ensure that necessary infrastructure and also concessions are made available without hiccups to entrepreneurs,'' he said.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) legislator P M L Kalyanasundaram earlier spoke about the need for a ''hassle-free processing of applications from entrepreneurs for licences and other amenities'', as several industries had shifted to Tamil Nadu on account of the lack of ease of doing business in the UT.

He also said that the exodus of industries from Puducherry was also caused by ''unbridled trade union activities and the interruption of working of industries by 'letter pad outfits' as well as those functioning on caste lines.

Another ruling BJP legislator, A John Kumar, said that the ''time-consuming process of applications'' had caused ''a loss of Rs 300 crore by way of revenue to the Puducherry government'' due to entrepreneurs leaving the UT.

Independent MLA P Angalan said that the government should emulate the ''Gujarat model'' in giving available land to entrepreneurs at concessional rates and also providing electricity through grant of subsidies.

M Shivashankar, another Independent legislator wanted the government to come out with new industrial policy that was ''investor friendly''.