By IANS,
Shimla: Agro-processing, tourism and information technology are three core areas which the central government and the Himachal Pradesh government are working to promote in the hill state, a top official said here Tuesday.
“We are exploring possibilities of new industry in the fields of agro-processing, tourism and information technology in the hill state,” Secretary (Industrial Policy and Promotion) in the central industry ministry Ajay Shankar told reporters.
Here to explore possibilities of new industrial projects in the state, the official met officials of the state government and members of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
“Both the state government and the CII briefed me on the scope of new industrial projects. I will submit my proposals to the ministry,” he said.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who was here last month, said that the central government’s focus would be on setting up agro- and fruit-based processing units and tourism projects in the hill state. He said strengthening infrastructure, including roads construction, would also be the priority area in the state.
Himachal Pradesh has 38 industrial areas and 15 industrial estates.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has cleared more than 1,500 industrial proposals worth around Rs.10,000 crore (Rs.100 billion) in the past 18 months.