DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora on Thursday said industry-specific committees will be formed to advise the state government for shaping up a new industrial policy. Arora said a total of 22 committees comprising industrialists will be formed. Each committee will comprise 8 to 10 members with its chairman, said Arora while addressing the media here. The tenure of these committees will be for two years.

"These committees will advise the government for any requirement they need in their respective sectors. They will advise the government about what changes they require in the policy," said Arora.

Arora said the committees will be asked to give their first report within 45 days.

"We will seek their comments to make new industrial policy a reality. We want to come out with the new policy as soon as possible," said Arora.

These committees will be constituted for the textile sector, IT, sports goods, , bicycle industry, auto and auto components, heavy machinery, electric vehicles, renewable energy, food processing, steel, chemical industry, tourism and hospitality, film and media, pharmaceuticals, retail and manufacturing among others, he said.

Replying to a question on some textile industrialists from Punjab investing in Madhya Pradesh, Arora said no industry is moving out of the state. "They have future expansion plans. If any industry has future expansion plans, these can be for going there where raw material is available, and a port is near for import and exports." "Nobody is shutting here. They are expanding here as well," he said.

On July 7, MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had met local industrialists in Ludhiana and had then said that his state received investment proposals worth Rs 15,606 crore from Punjab industrialists.

To a question on industry complaining about unscheduled power cuts, Arora said they regularly take up this issue with the state-owned power utility -- Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.

"We do not have a shortage of power. Rather the PSPCL is looking for customers for sale of electricity. But somewhere there are transmission problems. Sometimes grids get overloaded. All these are issues being taken care of. In the last 6-8 months, new grids have been set up and upgraded.

"We assure that this problem will be solved," he said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)