Land cheer for Bihar industry

Patna: The Bihar government has started the process of transferring immovable assets of dysfunctional corporations, including buildings and around 2,200 acres of land, to the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada).

Once the transfer is complete, Biada will sell it to the industries department and deposit the money with the state exchequer as per the resolution of the finance department.

The land being transferred to Biada includes unsettled land of various units of the Bihar State Sugar Corporation, including those at Bihta, Motipur, Sugauli, Sakri, Siwan, Guraru, Goraul, Warsaliganj, Banmankhi, Hathua and Lohat spread across different districts.

Industries department principal secretary S. Siddharth has ordered a joint survey along with Biada of farmland attached with these sugar mills to check their ownership titles as information about encroachment and land disputes keep cropping up.

The land acquired by the industries department is expected to be of great help in attracting industries to the state.

“Though the land that Biada will transfer to us is spread across several districts, over 500 acres or around one-fourth of it is located in Buxar. It is agricultural land attached to Bihta sugar mill, which is now defunct,” Siddharth told The Telegraph.

Sources in the industries department said that the survey work of the land belonging to sugar mills is going to over by the end of this month.

The industries department has also launched an ambitious programme to promote entrepreneurship among Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe youths, for which the government has okayed Rs 102.5 crore during 2018-19. The new scheme will promote establishment of micro and small enterprises. It will also create employment opportunities in rural and urban areas.

The scheme will be implemented by Bihar Startup Fund Trust and be open to all SC and ST youth who are native of Bihar and have at least passed Plus Two, ITI diploma, polytechnic diploma or equivalent course. The minimum age limit is 18 and the unit should be a registered one.

“We saw that banks do not approve self-employment loans for the youth belonging to SC and ST categories for want of collateral security. Due to this, the industries department has launched this scheme,” Siddharth said.

Dalit entrepreneurs will also get interest-free loans of up to 50 per cent of their unit cost or maximum Rs 5 lakh, while the remaining 50 per cent, with a cap of Rs 5 lakh, will be provided as grant or subsidy.

The scheme, Mukhyamantri SC and ST Udyami Yojana, is a demand-driven one and the state cabinet on Monday approved Rs 102.5 crore to be spent during financial year 2018-19. The industries department is expecting at least 2,000 micro and small industries investors to apply under the scheme for their units.

The beneficiaries will be selected by a committee chaired by the industries department principal secretary. Money to them will be released in three installments.

Courtesy: The Telegraph