Haryana gets foreign direct investment worth Rs 10,500 crore as Centre accorded approvals to 960 foreign technical collaboration (FC).
Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has claimed that the sound economic fundamentals and excellent infrastructure have propelled the state into one of the most pro-business states in the country.
Hooda told FE those projects with FDI of about Rs 5,625 crore have already been set up in the state since August 1991 when liberalisation process began. The projects with FDI of Rs 648 crore were at advance stage of implementation. The chief minister said that today Haryana ranks fifth in the country, in terms of FDI and FC approvals.
The prominent MNCs that have come to Haryana from Japan include big names like Suzuki Motors, Honda Motors, YKK, Denso, Nagata Auto, Mitsubishi Electric, Stanley Electric, Nippon Seiki, Ishikawa, Asahi Glass, KEIHIN FIE, Japan Lighting, Showa Corporation, NGK Spark, Sona Kayo Steering etc. Buoyed by the Japanese response, the Haryana government has constructed an exclusive Japanese hostel at Gurgaon to facilitate investment from Japan and to provide all facilities required by Japanese environment. The government has also set up an investment promotion centre to provide “hand holding service” to Japanese investors for venture location, information on investment policies, procedures and clearances.
Hooda informed that 289 units have been registered with the Central government as 100% export oriented units (EOUs). Out of these, 127 EOUs have gone into production and will catalyse an investment of Rs 2,681 crore, with employment for over 27,000 persons. He said that today, Haryana has 1,330 large and medium units and about 80,000 small-scale units. Exports from Haryana during the year 2007-08 have crossed Rs 30,000 crore. The state witnessed an unprecedented flow of investment worth Rs 33,000 crore since 2005. Projects with an investment of more than Rs 66,000 crore are also in the pipeline. The chief minister informed that the state received 92 proposals for the setting up of special economic zones (SEZs) with an investment of more than Rs 2,00,000 crore.
A petrochemical hub is being set up at Panipat with an investment of Rs 35,000 crore. The state government has planned to develop economic hubs all along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal Expressway. Four new projects for setting up Industrial Model Townships have been initiated at Faridabad, Rohtak, Jagadhari and Kharkhoda. These townships will include campuses for large industries, ICT parks, industrial plots, flatted factories, residential colonies including labour housing, commercial and institutional areas, and entertainment zones, educational and health care facilities.
Three new projects have been initiated in the state with assistance from the Centre including Central Institute of Plastic and Engineering Technology at Panipat with an investment of Rs 23 crore, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management at Kundli with an investment of about Rs 350 crore and National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project at Manesar with an investment of Rs 400 crore.
While referring to welfare, safety and health of industrial workers, he said incidence of accidents in the state has reduced considerably and the present rate of 0.49 per thousand workers.