[lang_en]Shimla: With the opposition abstaining in the post lunch session, the Himachal Vidhan Sabha adopted a resolution urging the central government to extend incentives under the industrial package to 2013 that was originally envisaged in 2003.
Moving the resolution, chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal it was the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee that had provided a ten year industrial package for the hill states of Uttrakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh along with the North Eastern States.
However, the UPA government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the start of its term itself curtailed it down to four years but was then subsequently extended to seven years that end in 2010, he said.
The package was also diluted on other accounts and excise exemptions to ancillary units involved in packaging pharma products stand withdrawn, he said.
The resolution that was adopted by voice vote sought to restore the original industrial package that was announce for the hill states and asked the central government to extend the industrial package so that the state could achieve industrial growth.
Later, speaking to the media in his chamber, the chief minister took the oppositions abstaining to task saying that they were busy petty politicking while an important resolution that mattered about the states industrial growth prospects was not attended to by congress legislators.
Talking about the steps taken to improve the investment climate, he said that emphasis was being laid on improving infrastructure. The central government had agreed to four-lane the Pinjore Swarghat road, the Punjab government had agreed to complete the Chandigarh Baddi road by June 2009, a road link between Baddi and Mohali to provide direct access to the international airport coming up, broadening the Parwanoo-Barotiwala road, setting up a revenue sub-divison at Baddi and improved infrastructure within industrial towns were some of the measures taken, said Dhumal.[/lang_en]
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads the team of media professionals at Hill Post.
In a career spanning over two decades through all formats of journalism in Electronic, Print and Online Media, he brings with him enough experience to steer this platform. He lives in Shimla.
