Shimla: Chamber of Indian Industries (CII), in a pre-budget memorandum to the government has asked for laying focus on infrastructure development as it was hampering growth of industry in the region.
Chander Shekhar Gupta, chairman CII HP council stated “The new budget need to impart an impetus for growth through a reforms-based agenda.”
A comprehensive and composite plan needs to be made that addresses economic issues with the active participation of all the stakeholders, he said.
Laying emphasis on infrastructure he said that to attract more investments air, rail and road connectivity needed to be improved.
The industrial chamber has asked the government to consider concrete highways as they could withstand vagaries of weather better than bitumen tarred ones.
Concrete roads of correct quality once built lasts for 40 – 50 years and also reduce the maintenance cost as compared to old bitumen roads, said Gupta.
To tap into the large inflows of foreign tourists, he sought more funds to develop tourism infrastructure.
Seeking a review of the power policy, the chamber has suggested that the government take the reforms process further with the active support from all stakeholders.
To tackle problems of uneven growth, the governments needed to make the investment climate more investor friendly. Emphasis needed to be given to small scale industries, he said.
To bridge the skill gap which reduces employment chances of Himachali youth, the government should work on upgrading technical education which suited industrial needs, said Gupta.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
