The government plans to launch a State-level credit guarantee scheme to ensure payment of margin money directly to the SC entrepreneurs availing bank loans. This was part of the proposed new industrial policy, said IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao.
Replying to a question by Dasyam Vinay Bhasker (TRS) and others, Mr. Rao informed the Telangana Assembly on Tuesday that there was a lot for SCs, STs, women and the disabled to look forward to in the new industrial policy. It was proposed to earmark a specific quota for Dalit contractors in the works so as to encourage them, he said.
Elaborating on the policy, he said the Cabinet had given its approval and the policy would be unveiled in the present sessions itself. All clearances would be given within a span of 15 to 30 days under the Right to Single Window Clearance programme. Skill development programme for youth would also be taken up. Work on the industrial corridor between Hyderabad-Warangal had already commenced. In the second phase it was proposed to take up a similar corridor between Hyderabad and Mahabubnagar. A textile park at Warangal was planned. Natural resource based parks in the districts were also on the anvil. The government was spending a huge sum to develop the Panchayat Raj and R&B road network. The Innovate, Incubate and Incorporate (III) scheme would be a unique one.
24-hour power supply Allaying the fears of members, Mr. Rao said the government was serious about providing 24-hour power supply. In the next three years the State would get an additional 2,000 MW and another 500 MW through solar energy.
Answering a point raised by J. Geeta Reddy (Congress), the Minister said the new industrial policy was formulated after taking the inputs from the five-hour-long interaction the Chief Minister had with members of CII, FICCI, FAPCCI and DICCI. Road shows and awareness camps would be organised in Telangana and other parts of the country to propagate the industrial policy, Mr. Rao said.
Earlier, Thati Venkateswarlu (YSRC) expressed concern at the difficulty faced by the SCs and STs in availing bank loans and asked the government to ensure loans without security. Ms. Geeta Reddy said the Congress government had made lot of efforts to get the credit guarantee scheme, but somehow it didn’t take off.
