Gujarat’s new Industrial Policy: CM Rupani interacts with leading industrialists and corporates

New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani interacted with leading industrialists and corporates of India regarding the New Industrial Policy 2020.

The webinar was organized by Industries and Mines department, Government of Gujarat in partnership with key industry bodies – Associated Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani while releasing the policy booklet expressed his gratitude towards industry for their support and resilience demonstrated during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. He acknowledged how industry came forward in manufacturing gloves, PPE kits, HCQ etc. on a large scale in order to support not only the local population but also help other states and countries.

The Chief Minister highlighted that Gujarat is at the forefront in embracing the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in true spirit and has become the first state to respond to this call to action by the release of the new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 that aims to create an enabling ecosystem driven by this vision. He informed that the new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 is a progressive & bold step that aims to instill the idea of “Minimum Government and Maximum Governance” with first of its kind initiatives in India like:

1. De-linking incentives from SGST
2. Providing government land on long term lease to industries with all banking benefits
3. Support to private companies for setting up R&D centres
4. Support to industries to build dormitories for labourers

He also acknowledged that MSMEs are the backbone of the industrial revolution in Gujarat. Unparalleled incentives to MSMEs have been introduced like:
1. Ease of using Solar Power by MSMEs
2. Fiscal support in acquisition of foreign technology
3. Increased capital and interest subsidy

Mr. Anil Mukim, Chief Secretary, Government of Gujarat highlighted that while Gujarat attracted big-ticket investments in the manufacturing and services sector, the Government has also focused on the development of the MSME sector.

Mr. M K Das, Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister & Industries and Mines Dept., Government of Gujarat in his address laid-out the fine points of the new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020. He also highlighted that Gujarat for enhancing the ease of doing business introduced several measures such as exemption to new companies from all labour laws for a period of 1,000 days, the exemption to MSMEs from obtaining permissions for a period of three years and the Gujarat Single Window Portal. He also highlighted the incentives being offered to service sector enterprises and that the policy offers incentives to all sectors with no “ineligible industries”.

As a testimony to the transparent and forward-looking policies, several key industries came forward to announce their investment plans in Gujarat. Major industrial projects worth to the tune of Rs 10,500-crore were announced by companies like Vedanta (Rs 4,500 crores – Metals), Kiri Industries (Rs 3000 crore – Specialty Chemicals), Welspun Group (Rs 2000 crore – Textiles), and UNO Minda Group (Rs 1,000 crore – Engineering).

The online session was attended by Indian industry leaders and investors, who praised the visionary and dynamic measures introduced in the new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020.

Representatives of the industry associations – Associated Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) commended the Chief Minister and his team for coming with the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 that rose to the challenge of meeting the difficulties posed by the pandemic.

President of FICCI Dr. Sangita Reddy Jt. MD Apollo Hospitals said that measures like the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 have made Gujarat a true leader in every industry sector & covered all major aspects vital for a manufactuing unit i.e. Land, Labour, Capital, Electricity and Logistics. Dr.Reddy also announced for a proposal to set up a backend-manufacturing unit of Apollo Hospital in Gujarat.

Sr. Vice President of ASSOCHAMVineet Agarwaland MD, Transport Corporation of India Ltd underlined that Gujarat since the start of liberalisation has been pushing innovation in the state. He said that the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 will go a long way in bringing new investments and generating more employment in the state. He particularly praised Gujarat’s excellent infrastructure of road, rail and ports that position Gujarat for being a leader in exports.

Vice President, CII Sanjiv Bajaj and CMD Bajaj Finserv Ltd lauded the Government of Gujarat for coming up with a policy that was simple, clear, progressive and consistent.

Sunil Mathur, MD Siemens India; Sanjiv Mehta, CMD Hindustan Unilever Ltd; BK Goenka, Chairman Welspun Group Harsh Pati Singhania, VC & MD JK Paper, Sunil Duggal, Group CEO Vedanta, and Anadi Sinha, President, UNO Minda Group also participated in the event and appreciated the proactive approach of the State Government leadership and administration towards industry, more so in such trying times of the pandemic.

The new Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020 will give additional momentum and enhance the current growth rate. The policy has concerted efforts for supporting jobs, value addition, adoption of state-of-the-art technology, innovation driven ecosystem with focus on research and development so as to propel the state further towards “Atmanirbhar Gujarat”. This will enable the shaping of a Modern Gujarat that spearheads the vision of a Modern India.