Government is working to map land bank available for industry: Piyush Goyal

The government is working on creating a genuine single-window clearance mechanism and mapping the entire land bank available for the industry and industrial development. Addressing industry representatives of electronics and software exports, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal today said, the government is looking at ways to promote manufacturing of electronic products like LED televisions and CCTVs.

He said, the government is very keen to have a semiconductor fabrication plant in India. The minister also said that the government is looking at ways to promote manufacturing of electronic products like LED televisions, CCTVs and is "very keen" to have a semiconductor FAB plant in India.

He added, "We really want to see (semiconductor) FAB (plant) coming up quickly. I would urge you to apply your mind and tell us what the government needs to do for that," he said adding "We can even think of setting up a plant near a power plant".

Piyush Goyal Office in a tweet today said, "Minister @PiyushGoyal held a meeting with Electronics & Computer Software Export Promotion Council Members. Electronics has always been a vibrant & proactive industry; and with our capabilities, India can become the Electronics Hub of the post-COVID world."

Mr Goyal said, to capture IT services exports data, the ministry is thinking of creating a framework by which it can capture that data. He said that he has tasked the officers to look at some framework by which the ministry can capture data of IT services exports.

He also asked the industry to work on creating some clusters where the whole ecosystem can be created with all necessary testing labs, common services, getting plug and play infrastructure to units and ensuring online clearances.

Mr Goyal also said that we are working in DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) to create the framework of a genuine single window where you do not open doors behind that single window. We are also working on mapping the entire land bank available for industry and industrial development. He added, sufficient land is available and "we can make sure that it is available at competitive prices, we can even talk to states.

Regarding the demand of export incentives under MEIS (merchandise exports from India scheme), he said the ministry is working on Remission of Duties or Taxes on Export Product (RoDTEP), "so I do not know whether MEIS can really sustain or continue beyond December 2020 or when RoDTEP come to your industry".

He said that no industry can sustain in the long run on "these clutches" and industries which are not dependent on the government are flourishing.