GUWAHATI, May 17 ? The Central Government will consider to give more incentives to boost the tourism, healthcare and entertainment including filmmaking in the North Eastern region. It was assured by the Union Minister of State for Industries and Commerce Ch Vidya Sagar Rao who was here on a four-day visit to the region to assess the impact of North East Industrial Policy (NEIP).
Addressing a press conference here this morning, the Minister said, ?after interacting with entrepreneurs and industry representatives in the region during last few days, I am personally convinced that tourism, healthcare and entertainment in the North East need be given industry status so that the sectors can benefit from the incentives available under the NEIP.? He pledged to take up the matter with the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee so that these key sectors in the region which have potential to trigger development and generate employment, get a boost.
Talking about his assessment of the NEIP in the region so far, the Minister said problem of connectivity, lack of reliable power, want of market, absence of single window clearance system in the region, insufficient availability of trained manpower and limited participation of local entrepreneurs had been major hurdles in the path of rapid industrialisation in the region.
Sri Rao said industries in the North East must look for market in the neighbouring Bangladesh which is closer to the region than the market in the rest of the country. When drawn to the very high tariff one has to pay to export goods to Bangladesh from North East, the Minister said the Government of India was initiating measures to moderate the tariff regime to promote bilateral trade with Bangladesh.
From now onwards the Centre would focus on promoting industries based on local resources and capable of generating employment in the region, Sri Rao said adding that large number of packaging units that had cropped up in the region in the post NEIP period would not serve the main purpose of industrialisation of the region. He reiterated that recent incentives granted to industries in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal would not affect flow of investment for setting up industries based on local resources here.
He claimed that the apprehension that gripped the North Eastern States over the incentives granted to those States could be dispelled to a greater extent during his interaction with entrepreneurs in various parts of the region including Guwahati, Shillong, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Duliajan.