Vijay Rupani during a visit to a hospital to review Covid situation. (Photo: File)
Citing electricity consumption as an indicator, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Monday said that factories were fully functional after the lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic and exuded confidence that the development activities would gain momentum.
Rupani said that after Unlock 1, businesses and industries have picked up pace due to cooperation of citizens and added that factories have started operating normally. “Electricity consumption by industries was 209 million units in July 2019. This July also, it is 207 million units, which means wheels of industrial units have started spinning in full speed again,” an official release from the state government quoted Rupani as saying.
The CM was addressing industrialists in various district headquarters through video-conferencing after conducting computerised draw of lots for allotting plots in the newly-developed Chhatar-Mitana estate of Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in Morbi district on Monday.
The CM said as it has done after every natural disasters such as earthquake, cyclone and floods, Gujarat would emerge stronger after Covid-19 pandemic as well. “I have no doubt that Gujarat will respond to the call given by Narendra Modi… and emerge stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic and take further its development march at higher speed,” said Rupani.
Rupani said that of the Rs 20-lakh crore package announced by the central government to help industries ride through the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Rs 3.5 lakh crore was allocated to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), of which Gujarat is a hub. He said that the government has tried to support livelihoods of people and businesses by giving relief worth Rs 1,371 crore to 13,000 MSMEs in Gujarat. He added that as recommended by Hasmukh Adhia Committee, the state government had announced Rs 14,000-crore package for industries and business to bring economy of the state back on track.
The CM also inaugurated two central effluent treatment plans (CETPs) for industrial units in Dahej and Saykha estates in Bharuch district. Both the CETPs have the capacity to treat 40 million litres per day (MLD) effluent each and said that the government was committed to promote industries in the state, along with protecting the environment.
Located on Rajkot-Morbi state highway, Chhatar-Mitana GIDC estate on 24 hectares of land has earmarked 127 plots of size ranging from 500 square metres (sqm) to 3,000 sqm for MSMEs and 11 plots of size ranging from 3,000 sqm to 7,000 sqm for general category. Rupani said that land and related physical infrastructure provided by GIDC to private enterprises was powering the growth of Gujarat. He said that 217 GIDC estates in the state were home to 60,000 factories, directly employing 18 lakh people.