Polluting units to be kept out of mega industrial towns:Sharma

Jakarta, Oct 5 (PTI) India will keep polluting industries
out of proposed mega industrial towns aimed at boosting the
share of manufacturing in the country's Gross Domestic
Product, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said here
on Wednesday.
"What is being proposed is... from the perspective of
investing in green technologies. We are very clear that the
Schedule A industries will be kept out of the proposed
industrial towns. We don't want polluting industries... Rest
is for the states to do," Sharma told PTI in an interview.
The Commerce and Industry Minister, who was here for the
Indonesia-India Biennial Trade Ministers' Forum meeting, said,
"The manufacturing policy will be transformative for India."
However, the proposed policy has been delayed due to
differences between the Department of Industrial Policy and
Promotion (DIPP) under Sharma's charge and the ministries of
environment and labour.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has granted
'in-principle' approval to the policy, has put the onus on the
Group of Ministers to form a consensus on the issue. The
ministers' group is headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad
Pawar.
While the discussion paper floated by the DIPP has
suggested the relaxation of environment and labour laws, the
concerned ministries were not in favour of the idea.
"These are few minor issues, not fundamental. The
impression that anything is being done to harm labour is not
true. In fact, it (the policy) is far more progressive. There
is no change of any law or statute, which is required either
in labour or environment. I am sure the GoM will take a
considered view. We are using the word, 'greenfield integrated
township'. I think that speaks for itself," he said.
Sharma said the fundamental concerns over the low share
of manufacturing in the GDP have to be addressed if the
country has to create new jobs. The policy envisages the
creation of 100 million new jobs by 2020.
"The issue is not of environment... That is the running
theme. It is of delays and controls," he said, drawing
attention to the fact that if steps were not taken to boost
manufacturing in India, "Where will the jobs come from?"
The policy aims at increasing the share of the
manufacturing sector in the GDP to 25 per cent from 16 per
cent at present.
The minister also made it clear that unlike Special
Economic Zones, the number of mega industrial enclaves would
not be more than four-five. China has 70 mega manufacturing
townships and "look at the number that Germany and Japan did",
he said.

In fact, many state governments have written to Sharma
offering land for development of the zones. He did not
disclose the names.
The model of the proposed townships would be similar to
the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Corporation. The minister
said the manufacturing policy would be integral to the DMICC,
for which the Union Cabinet recently sanctioned Rs 18,500
crore.
The corporation is developing a huge USD 90 billion
industrial corridor, encompassing several city nodes in seven
states along the Delhi-Mumbai rail route. PTI PC
MNS