275 of promised 22k jobs created: Govt data
Panaji: With only a handful of the projects cleared by the Goa Investment Promotion Board (IPB) presently in the production stage, the promise of employment generation seems far from being fulfilled.
Though a total of 98 investment proposals have been cleared by the IPB from 2021-22 till date with employment potential of around 22,000 jobs, in reality only five of these projects are presently in operation and have provided around 275 jobs, according to government data.
The House was informed on Wednesday that the remaining 93 projects are in progress and yet to create employment. Some of the projects approved by IPB are awaiting plot allotment by Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and, therefore, unable to take off.
Minister for Industries, Trade and Commerce, Mauvin Godinho, replying to a question tabled in the assembly by MLAs Carlos Ferreira and Vijai Sardesai, said the IPB-approved projects adhere to their commitments on investment, employment and environmental safeguards, as they must comply with the provisions of Goa Industrial Growth and Investment Promotion Policy (GIGIPP), 2022 and Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation of Single Window Clearance
Act, 2021.
With regard to compliance with the environmental laws, Godinho said the companies are mandated to follow the guidelines set by Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).
The information shared in the assembly indicated that 15 of the 98 projects are in the red category.
Godinho said that under the Goa Industrial Growth and Investment Promotion Policy 2022, incentives are provided to the project proponents based on local employment generated by the projects. He said that under the policy, incentives are also provided to businesses that employ over 60% locals.
Stating that IPB’s special projects comprise those that require over 3,000 square metres of land, Godinho said a total of 57 cleared projects are classified as special and one among them is operational. The other special projects are yet to commence commercial production and no employment is generated from them yet, he said.
