'The future
of West Bengal is much better compared to other states'
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What is your opinion about the
status of Industry in West Bengal ?
Industry in the State is picking up
but not to the extend as seen in other
States. However, quite a large number
of Projects are in the pipeline and in
the installation state. Within the
next two to three years there will be a
marked acceleration of Industries
in West Bengal.
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What is your observation about
the Government support to the Industry, Specially in West Bengal ?
The Government in West Bengal has changed
and now supports Industry to a great extent. The new incentive schemes,
concessions etc offered by the Government should help Industry to grow.
This is presently not apparent as many of the new Industries are in the
project and installation stage.
The Government is also having discussions
with various Industry Forum to encourage new Industries to come into West
Bengal.
The attitude of labour has also
dramatically changed in the last few years and with support of the Government,
they are a much more productive force.
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What do you think are the major
problems of Industry in West Bengal ?
Lack of modernisation and improvement
in technology to make the products cost
effective.
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Poor infrastructure, especially roads.
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Lack of demand due to cut in public
sector investment.
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Non-availability of working capital
due to reforms in the banking sector.
Do you suggest any measures to improve
the status of the Industry in West Bengal?
The Government of West Bengal should
review the existing Industrial policy
and incentive packages in the States
to match the enticements offered by
other States in the Country. Procedures
should be simplified and clearances
for new industries should be under
a “single window” to avoid delays at every
stage of implementation.
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Where does West Bengal stand compared
to other industrially advanced states ?
Unfortunately West Bengal's status is
not considered good. However, this will
change in the next two to three
years when the projects presently in the
pipeline are in production.
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How do you see the future of West
Bengal as an investment destination ?
Although there have been changes in
the industrial climate of West Bengal,
these still do not compare with
that of other States and hence a lot has
still to be done to attract investment
in West Bengal and Government's firm
commitment is required for this.
However, we see that the future
of West Bengal is much better compared to other States as they have inherent
strengths of skilled labour, no power problems and once the infrastructure
improves, West Bengal will be the best place for investment.
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How do you look at the potential
for growth for Exide Industries in the Changing economic environment?
The prospects for Exide are good. We
have a wide range of batteries to meet the requirements of every need from
a 2.5 Ah battery to a 12000 Ah battery.
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Does Exide Industries have any
major long term plan for expansion and diversification ?
Yes, our expansion and modernisation
plans are ongoing and we will continue
to grow to meet the market needs
both national and internationally.
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What are the challenges facing
the Indian Battery manufacturers today ?
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High rates of duty on lead, which is
the main component of the battery. This needs to be reduced to create parity
between duty on raw materials vs duty on finished goods and thus create
a fair level playing field.
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Totally dependent on import for lead.
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Disparity in prices between the Organised
sector manufacturers and the Small Scale who do not pay any duties or taxes.
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Any other comments on Government
policy ?
In a liberalised environment of the
country the Government policies have to
be changed basically on the duty
structure and the Government should consider
a three tier reduced duty system
for :-
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Raw materials – minimum
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Semi processed material – medium
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Finished products – higher
Duties on import of finished goods have
been lowered but internal duties of finished goods at various stages makes
the products uncompetitive. Indian Industry is not afraid of competition
from abroad so long as they are on the same level of duties and tax structure.
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You have any observation on any
other issues ?
We continue to say that infrastructure
is the most important factor for any State or the country to progress.
This is totally lacking and as a result, we are far behind as even our neighbouring
countries have far better facilities. The Government should go all out
to improve roads, power, ports, telecommunication etc. |