Industries minister writes to 24 industrialists for setting up their units in Bihar

PATNA: Bihar's industries minister Shyam Rajak has written to 24 leading industrialists in the country, inviting them to set up their units in the state. In his letters, the minister has stated that there is vast scope in Bihar for industrial units in food processing sector, agriculture equipment manufacturing, healthcare, IT and ITes, energy, chemical, leather and textiles.
Letters have been sent to Nestle India Ltd, Finolex Industries Ltd, Khadim India Ltd, GRM Overseas Ltd, Hindustan Food Ltd, Relaxo Footwears Ltd, KRBL Ltd, L.T.Food Ltd and Bata India Ltd, among others.
The minister has informed industrialists that there is no dearth of land in Bihar for setting up industrial units. "Bihar industrial area development authority (BIADA), a wing of industries department, was recently transferred 2,484 acres of land from Bihar state sugar mills corporation. Besides, BIADA has 346-acre industrial land in its possession," Rajak told TOI.
He has written in his letters that the state government has started skill mapping of migrant workers at the quarantine centres so that their database could be prepared. "Around 7 lakh migrant workers have already returned to the state and 20 lakh more are expected to follow suit. We have also prepared IT solutions for matching supply side of labour with demand side," Rajak said.
The minister claimed in his letters that Covid-19 has not affected food processing, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), healthcare, agriculture, IT, ITes, telecommunication, oil and gas, power, chemical and retail sectors much. "Bihar offers strong opportunities in these sectors," he said.
Rajak said since Bihar is located in eastern India, it can emerge as manufacturing base for markets of eastern Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and north-eastern states.
Emphasizing on food processing sector, Rajak said many major food processing companies, including ITC, Britannia, Coca Cola and Pepsi are running multiple plants in Bihar.
Rajak said Bihar has common application form (CAF) and single-window clearance system in place. He added that the state also has separate investment promotion agencies for large industries and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The industries minister has invited each industrialist or company to visit Bihar, experience it, and then draw opinion about investing in the state.