MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Aug 24: The Kolkata-headquartered national industrial body Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has committed to increase its focus on Jharkhand and help realise its huge industrial potential, said the newly appointed Chairman of its state chapter.
Speaking to lagatar24.com, ICC Jharkhand Chapter chairman Dr Amritanshu Prasad said, “ICC has a strong presence in Odisha and the northeast, apart from West Bengal. We are now working to increase our focus on Jharkhand, another important eastern state.”
Prasad, who heads the corporate affairs of Adani in Jharkhand, believes the state has massive industrial potential but requires the right environment for the industry to grow. He says the government needs to be proactive to protect and promote industries.
“The state has a lot of potential and we plan to take up all the industrial issues with the government. We need to create the right environment for the industry to progress. The current government has the desire but has to be more serious,” Prasad said.
He said that the state government has to be more receptive to the voice of industries and help remove the hurdles, including matters related to subsidies and incentives. He said that some industrial units have closed down due to lack of government support.
“There are some industries in Adityapur that have closed down due to lack of raw materials, funds, electricity and other crucial infrastructure facilities. The government should have helped them. I plan to take feedback from industries in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Hazaribag and speak with the state government for their intervention,” he said.
As for other industry bodies like CII, FICCI, Assocham and FJCCI in the state, Prasad said that rather than competition it will be more of collaboration as they all represent the same players with similar issues and together the efforts can be more fruitful.
The new Chairman said that the ICC has been doing studies and reports on Jharkhand. As for his priority areas during his term as Chairman, Prasad said, “My focus will be on mines, metals, tourism, agro based industries and women empowerment.”
