By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI/ANGUL/BARBIL: Few weeks after Union Industries, Commerce and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Steel-PNG Minister Dharmendra Pradhan assuring Industry sector for all help, in Odisha, the Naveen Patnaik led Government is contemplating to announce an inclusive package for for quick revival of the industrial sector which has been severely hit due to the COVID-induced nationwide lockdown.Odisha Chief Minister Patnaik had announced to form an Inter-Ministerial Group to look into the problem faced by industry and mining sectors in the State following COVID-19 lockdown.
News agency, PTI quoting Odisha’s Industries, Energy and MSME Minister , Captain Dibya Shankar Mishra said that steps are being taken to rejuvenate the industrial sector hit by the ongoing lockdown. The State Government is looking into the measures required to put the ailing industries, particularly the MSMEs, back on the rails. The Government also need to ensure the safety and security of the labour force and resume production too, Mishra said as per media reports.
He said issues relating to revival of industries were discussed at a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee with representatives of around 17 industrial associations from different sectors through video conference last week.
During the meeting, the government got to know the problems faced by the industries and also the nature of support they require for their revival. The industry representatives were told that large investment will be made in industrial projects and infrastructure to generate demand within the state, he said.
Several suggestions have been put forward by representatives of industry, the minister said, adding another round of meeting will be held very soon as part of the exercise to firm up measures to deal with the crisis.
He emphasized that social distancing guidelines and other laid down safeguards will have to be strictly adhered to while restarting activities in any sphere of the industrial sector in view of the coronavirus menace.
“I have also held detailed discussions with Union Ministers for Railways, Heavy Industries, Chemicals and Fertilizers, Power and MSME. They all have promised to extend necessary cooperation and assistance for revival of industrial activities in Odisha,” he said.
Railways and road transport play a significant role in the smooth functioning of industries, Mishra said. Getting labourers and employees back to the workplace during corona scare is also going to be a herculean task, he said.
The state and the central government will have to create opportunities for revival of the ailing units which have been fully shut down.
“Taking into account all these aspects, well-thought strategies are being worked out to bring back normalcy in the industrial sector. We will soon come out with a comprehensive package for revival of industrial units including MSMEs,” the minister said.
Under the present scenario due to COVID outbreak, it is necessary to generate industrial demands within the state itself and the government plans to infuse large scale public investment to create industrial infrastructures like road, power distribution network and industrial parks, said a senior official.
As part of the plan of action, the state government wants to develop new dedicated industrial parks along with proper implementation of ongoing projects like PCPIR and plastics park at Paradip, steel hub in Kalinganagar and aluminium in Angul district.
Earlier, the Odisha Sponge Iron Manufactures’’ Association, an apex body of Sponge Iron Industries in the State, had got a morale boost after the Union Steel-PNG Minister Dharmendra Pradhan talked to them over video conference and assured all possible help from Union Government as well as from his Steel Ministry.
“Sponge iron units across the country including several in Odisha remained affected amid weak demand and shortage of manpower. There is also fear among players over government guidelines putting onus on the entrepreneur if a COVID-19 case is found at their units. The government last week announced fresh guidelines for enforcing the second phase of lockdown till May 3, 2020. According to the guidelines, industrial units located in rural areas were allowed to function from April 20. The units in rural areas will be able to operate only if they follow social distancing norms. Our members see no demand for their produce,” said a CMD of a Barbil, Keonjhar based Plant.
With the Naveen Patnaik led Government in Odisha, which had already approached the Union Government to hike the current 30% use of total DMF funds to 60% of the Rs 9000 crore reserved in Odisha DMF Funds and also reportedly eyeing on Rs 17,000 crore deposited at RBI account of Odisha Mineral Bearing Areas Development Corporation (OMBADC) and the Compensatory Afforestation (CAMPA) had earlier also got a huge shock after Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) has sought a slew of measures from the Union Finance Ministry to help the mining industry survive the unprecedented onslaught of a virulent pandemic.
In view of the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent nationwide lockdown, mining operations have been badly hit. Faced with immense pressure to service existing loans and incur costs towards manpower salaries, miners have asked for deferment of statutory dues like mineral royalties, District Mineral Fund (DMF), National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET), transfer charges and other levies & cess imposed by the state government till March 2021.
