Centre constitutes committee for extension of industrial package for hill states

New Delhi [India], Mar.30 (ANI): Union Minister Of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman told Shimla Member Parliament Virender Kashyap that a Committee of Secretaries under the Chairmanship of NITI Aayog has been constituted for formulating new industrial policy for hill states like Himachal Pradesh , Uttrakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. The committee will consider extension of an industrial package for hill states to generate employment opportunities by setting up industries in hilly States/regions of the country. Sitharaman informed that committee of secretaries met on February 23 in New Delhi to deliberate upon a new industrial policy and consultations between different stakeholder are being held by the committee. She told that Himachal Pradesh has demanded extension of Capital Investment Subsidy Scheme for further period of five years in order to give boost to investment in the State of Himachal Pradesh, while Jammu and Kashmir has requested for extension of the package on the pattern of north eastern states. During the current financial year, an amount of Rs. 24.96 crore had been released to these special category states under industrial package which includes Rs.10.17 crore for Jammu and Kashmir, Rs. 9.08 crore for Himachal Pradesh and Rs. 5.71 crore for Uttarakhand for promoting industrializations in these states, she added. The Government of India had announced a package of industrial incentives for promoting industrialisation in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on January 7, 2003 which was implemented initially for a period of 10 years till January 6,2013. It was further extended for four years from January 7, 2013 to March 31, 2017 with certain modifications. She told that for Jammu and Kashmir, the modified special package scheme is valid upto June 14, 2017. (ANI)