After over two decades, the Delhi Government has come out with an industrial policy that envisages promotion of clean, hi-tech, non-polluting and knowledge-based industries in the Capital. The policy, however, seeks to achieve the objective without closure of existing industrial units engaged in low-skilled activities.
“The industrial policy envisages promotion of clean and knowledge-based industries in Delhi, but it does not seek closure of the existing industries. Instead, it provides that the existing units engaged in low-skilled activities be graduated to hi-tech and knowledge-based industries. The Government will act as a facilitator for up-gradation of technology. The effort of the Government would be to facilitate existing industrial units covered under prohibited category to reorient their activities in conformity with the provisions of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021,” said Commissioner of Industries Chetan Sanghi.
Spelling out the details, Mr. Sanghi said the policy envisaged transformation through skill development, up-gradation of technology and tailor-made training programmes for the entrepreneurs to enable them to upgrade the technology or start hi-tech industries.
Mr. Sanghi informed that the Government planned to promote Special Economic Zones and Industrial Parks in the Capital to attract such non-polluting and knowledge-based industries. “We are also setting up a centre of excellence to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in hi-tech and knowledge-based industries apart from industry-institute interaction. It will go a long way in creating an atmosphere for industrial development in Delhi,” he said.
Hoping that with thrust on hi-tech industries only skilled work force would migrate to Delhi, Mr. Sanghi added that the policy also envisaged skill up-gradation of the existing work force to equip them to work in hi-tech industries.
On tackling the problem of pre-1990 industries and impermissible industries in local commercial areas, Mr. Sanghi said: “Units in non-conforming areas had a fair chance to apply for alternative plots under the Relocation Scheme of 1996. But given the past experience, another relocation scheme is not envisaged in the policy. The effort would be to ensure that all the allottees construct the factory building and start manufacturing activities at the relocated site.”
He also informed that as per the policy all clearances could be obtained through the Business Facilitation Council (BFC) and the entrepreneurs would not have to run from department to department for requisite clearance.
“The Government might consider empowering the BFC to issue deemed clearances in case the departments concerned do not issue such clearances within the prescribed time frame. For implementation there will be in-built mechanism like a separate policy implementation cell,” Mr. Sanghi said.
