Prasad Harichandan flays Industrial Policy Resolution-2015
Bhubaneswar, Sep 5: Launching a scathing attack against the Naveen Patanik government’s industrial policy Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan said that the Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR)-2015 was yet another attempt to hoodwink the people of the state. Notwithstanding the chief minister’s tall claim that Odisha continues to be the destination for the industrial houses, the withdrawal of big ticket industries from Odisha including Posco and Mittal groups portrays the picture of hostile industrial climate in the state, he said.
Citing the IPR-2015 as the reiteration of IPR-2001 and IPR-2007 pronounced by the Naveen led government Harichandan said that this new IPR hardly contains people friendly Rehabilitation and Resettlement(R&R) favorable for establishment of industries. “For faulty R&R policies the state government has failed to the affected peoples’ agitation at the proposed industrial sites,” he said.
Hitting hard at the single window committees and high power committees formed by the state government in the past to accelerate the industrial growth in the state Harichandan alleged that these committees have only served the interest of ‘selected few’ corporate houses rather than the industrial interest of the state. He further alleged that the present BJP government in the centre also catering to the need of those favored industrial houses. He reiterated that government still doesn’t have a clear cut policy for industrialization in the state which is why many industrial houses having heart to set up their units are quitting Odisha even after signing MoUs with the government.
“ More than 130 MoUs in steel, power, aluminum, food processing and other industrial sectors have been signed during the Naveen Patnaik government during the last 15 years but ironically only 43 out of those have managed to commence operation partially,” said Harichandan. He categorically said that the IPR-2015 doesn’t create a level playing field for creating encouraging settings for impetus of industrialization in the state.
Expressing concern over the unemployment problem in the state Harichandan said that the state government’s promise to provide employment to the state youths has proven to be a smokescreen. “When the state government has grossly failed to create employment opportunities over the last 15 years then how can it provide 3 lakh employments in the four years down the line,” Harichandan quizzed.
The existing industrial houses he complained that they have completely ignored the local youths while providing employment. “In industrial hubs like Jharsuguda the companies have preferred non-Odia youth over the local aspirants,” groaned Harichandan. Criticizing the government over creating a land bank of 10,000 acres Harichandan said that when already thousand acres of land given to the industrial houses have been lying blank as they have already left or on the verge of leaving the state sans setting up their units, such a move of the government is nothing but to appease industrial land mafia.