Admitting that the state's rhetoric about making Maharashtra an investor-friendly destination has not percolated down to the lower levels in the government machinery, the industries department is planning a massive outreach programme for industries and entrepreneurs.
This initiative, which is aimed at ensuring ease of doing business and attracting the manufacturing sector, will also see officials acclimatising people lower down in the chain of authority on various measures taken to lubricate the interaction between the government and industries. They will also collect feedback and ideas from stakeholders and industries associations.
The state government has ambitious 'Make in Maharashtra' plans to boost job creation and growth through the manufacturing sector. It has slashed the number of permissions required for starting new industries from 76 to 37 by eliminating unnecessary procedures; it plans to bring the number further down to 25.
"We will have presentations in all districts and give out soft and hard copies of all circulars and policies regarding this to all associations," a senior state industries department official told dna.
"Many of these measures (aimed at ease of doing business) are referred to at our level and we are happy discussing them in meetings. But this has not percolated to the ground. The people, and even some officials, do not know about these initiatives."
He said the meeting would be attended by guardian ministers of these districts, the district collectors, and officials from the department.
"(We will appraise stakeholders and industries associations) about initiatives taken so far and also collect ideas and feedback. This is a continuous process and it is necessary for us to know (what is actually happening on the ground)," the official said.
Since January 2015, the state government has received 18 FDI proposals from industrial groups across the globe. This proposed investment worth Rs59,107 crore has the potential to create 1,23,340 crore jobs. This includes Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, Coca Cola, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp. It plans to eventually attract investments worth Rs5 lakh crore, which would give employment to 10 lakh people.
The state government is also planning to cover some permissions required for industries under the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015, to ensure speedy delivery of these services, devoid of red tape. This will boost the plans to make Maharashtra an investor-friendly destination.
