Dehradun, Oct 18 (IANS) Uttarakhand’s Secretary Industries and Secretary to the Chief Minister, Vinay Shankar Pandey, on Sunday said the state government has consistently worked to translate investment proposals into reality, resulting in the grounding of investments worth more than Rs 1.01 lakh crore so far, as he dismissed social media reports questioning the Global Investors Summit-2023.

He informed that MoUs worth approximately Rs 3.56 lakh crore were signed during the Global Investors Summit held in December 2023. Groundbreaking ceremonies have been organised from time to time to translate these proposals into reality.

He said that all investment-related figures in the state are publicly available, and details of every project can be accessed on the relevant government websites.

The top official said that forming misleading perceptions about investment without examining the complete facts is inappropriate.

To assist investors, the government introduced the system of Nivesh Mitras (investment facilitators), who maintained regular communication with investors, helped resolve issues related to government procedures and played an important role in moving projects forward.

Pandey said that investment-related data is available on the portals of the Industries Department, UK SPICE and the Single Window System. Details of projects, the departments concerned and their locations have been recorded transparently, along with other essential information.

The Secretary Industries said that Uttarakhand’s geographical conditions are different from those of other states. Nearly 70 per cent of the state’s geographical area is forested, while the potential for establishing large industries is concentrated mainly in Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and certain parts of Nainital.

Accordingly, industrial policies have been formulated in line with the vision of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, with the objective of maintaining a balance between ecology and the economy while generating maximum employment opportunities.

Expressing strong objection to remarks being made about small enterprises and local investors, the Secretary Industries said that questioning the inclusion of businesses such as flour mills, mobile phone shops and other small ventures in the investment category reflects an incorrect understanding of investment.

He said that if a local person invests Rs 10,000 of their hard-earned money to start a small business, it also makes a significant contribution to the state’s economy and employment generation.

He said that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has issued clear instructions that entrepreneurs of all sizes, from the largest industrialists to the smallest business owners, must be treated with equal respect.

Providing details of upcoming investment plans, the Secretary Industries said that preparations are underway to ground the next tranche of investments worth approximately Rs 24,000 crore. The related details have also been made available on the Single Window System. He added that the fourth Ground Breaking Ceremony would be organised soon.

Pandey appealed to the media and other stakeholders to visit the project sites, interact with entrepreneurs and assess the progress made on the ground on the basis of facts.

--IANS

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