Ranchi: Stating that Jharkhand is a state with vast potential Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday said that the government is making constant efforts to connect the industrial and business activities here with the country and the world. Speaking after laying the foundation stone of the World Trade Center in the core capital area of Ranchi he said that all the activities related to international trade especially export promotion will be conducted under one roof in the World Trade Center. He said this center will play an important role in strengthening the economic activities here.
The Chief Minister said that Jharkhand is a state rich in minerals as right from Coal to iron to uranium is available in abundance here and because of this industrial activities have been going on here for decades and Industries and companies of many industrial business groups including Tata, Birla and Dalmia are established here.
He said the builder of the country’s industries and world-famous as “Mother Factory” HEC is in this Ranchi. He said steps have been taken in the state to provide all the facilities related to trade-export to these industries through the World Trade Center and now these steps will not stop but will move forward continuously.
He said that strengthening the rural economy is one of the special priorities of the government as people are involved in various activities in the rural environment here. The Chief Minister said that many schemes have been started in the direction of taking them forward and in this connection, products made by women’s self-help groups have been brought in the market through the Palash brand. He said that these products are available in big malls and shopping complexes as the government is working with a target to increase the turnover of the Palash brand to one thousand crore rupees annually.
The Chief Minister said that there is a lot of potential in the field of forest products in Jharkhand. Till now it has been seen that due to a lack of market for local products, people sell them at very low prices he said adding that at the same time, big companies from other states are buying and selling these products in this state at expensive prices and the government has taken this very seriously. He said now the growers should get the direct benefit of the forest and other products here, in this direction the government is making an action plan.
Hemant Soren said that a large number of children from rural areas of the state migrate to other states for employment where they are exploited. For the sake of employment, the villagers should not migrate and they should get employment in their own house the government is making continuous efforts in this direction. He said that agro-food processing, handloom, handicraft, and tasar to textile industry is expanding continuously in the state and due to this a large number of youth and women are getting employment here.
In this direction along with big industries the government is working towards providing assistance to small, medium, and small-scale industries he said adding that apart from this grant-based loans are being made available under the Chief Minister’s Employment Generation Scheme to promote self-employment.
An MoU was signed between JUDCO and SIDBI at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony of the World Trade Center. This assistance will be provided through SIDBI to develop industrial infrastructure and set up industries in the state. On this occasion, 515 beneficiaries were given capital of about one crore 87 lakh rupees for seed capital assistance under the PMFMI scheme.