Friday, June 26, 2020

Chandigarh, June 26- While taking a step forward toward realizing Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi’s vision of Atmnirbhar Bharat, the Haryana Government has offered to set up a Bulk Drugs Park at Panipat on 1000 acres of developed industrial land under the Government of India scheme for the promotion of Bulk Drugs Parks for financing common infrastructure facilities. The Bulk Drug Park at Panipat would reduce manufacturing cost of bulk drugs in the country and dependency on other countries for bulk drugs.

Mr Manahar Lal disclosed this while speaking as a chief guest in the inaugural session of CII pharmascope - a step towards Atmnirbhar Bharat - Made in India, Made for the World through virtual platform here today. About 325 representatives of 15 top companies participated in the CII pharmascope organized to deliberate and advocate on strategies for paving the way for India to become global pharmaceutical leader.

He said that the State has also a plan to set up a Medical Device Park on 225 acres at Karnal just 25 kilometers away from the proposed Bulk Drugs Park.

The Chief Minister said Bulk Drugs Park which is proposed to be developed at Panipat on 1000 acres of land could be further expanded to 1700 acres. He said that proximity of Panipat to New Delhi is an added advantage and Panipat being centrally located would be able to supply the raw material for bulk drugs to neighbouring states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, New Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh. Haryana has more than 150 pharmacy colleges, institutions and universities resulting in sufficient availability of skilled manpower to cater to the need of Bulk Drug Park, he added.

Stating that the State accounts for 45 per cent of the country’s production of pharmaceutical products, he said that 50 per cent of the production to be done in Panipat Park can be consumed in North itself resulting in saving a lot of transportation cost and time. He said that the State Government could offer land to the prospective investors both on an outright sale model and leasehold model. He also assured that the State Government would provide maximum incentives and subsidy as per the policy to those who would set up their units in the park. He said that an Industrial Model Township (IMT) is also proposed to be developed in Panipat with world class infrastructure required for pharmaceutical industries including common warehouses.

While Underlining the significance of the industrial sector in the growth story of the country and State, he said that industries not only help boost the economy but also provide employment opportunities to the youth. With the setting of this Park in Panipat, Haryana would not only be able to meet the demand of drugs in the country but also export the same to other countries thus contributing significantly in making India a leading country in the world in this field.

The Chief Minister said that owing to various investors’ friendly decisions taken by the present State Government, Haryana has become a preferred destination for the investors of not only India but of abroad also. The State has a great strategic advantage as Haryana surrounds the National Capital Delhi from three sides providing access to nearly 11 per cent of the domestic market. Apart from this, today 15 National Highways cross through Haryana with four of them passing through Delhi-NCR region; he said adding that Gurugram and Faridabad are major industrial districts of the State which have strong manufacturing clusters near to National Highways. He said that apart from the International airports at Delhi and Chandigarh, the State Government is developing domestic and cargo airport at Hisar, the work on which is in progress at a swift pace.

He said that Haryana has made tremendous progress in the Ease of Doing Business rankings in the country. He said that at present Haryana is at third position in the country in terms of Ease of Doing Business and first among all northern states. Also, Haryana has per capita income of more than Rs 2.6 lakh per annum, highest amongst the larger states in India. He said that the State GDP is growing the rate of 7.7 per cent annually which is higher than the National growth rate.

While referring to the Corona Pandemic, the Chief Minister said that though it is a challenging time for the country and the world but we have taken this as an opportunity and are working towards realizing Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Atmnirbhar Bharat’. Thanking the Prime Minister for announcing COVID relief package of Rs 20 lakh crore for the country, he said that the State Government has decided to spent 10 per cent of its share on the development of industrial sector also including the Pharmaceuticals .Though Haryana is primarily a agrarian State, it has made rapid strides in the field of industries and IT in the last few years. The manufacturing and services sectors today contribute about 82 per cent of the State economy.

Earlier, speaking on this occasion, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India Dr P.D. Vaghela said that India has made its mark in the country in the world in the Pharmaceutical sector. Lauding the role of industries during the Corona time, he said that as a result of the combined efforts made by the Central Government and the Industrial Sector there was no shortage of essential medicines and other medical equipment in the country. Infect, the export of essential medicines has increased during the last few months. He said that today India is also exporting PPE kits, hand sanitizers, gloves, N-95 marks and 3-ply masks to other countries.

Chairman, CII Northern Regional Committee on Life Science and Biotech Dr Dinesh Dua and Co-Chairman, CII Northern Regional Committee on Life Science and Biotech Mr B.R Sikri also spoke on this occasion.

Among those present on this occasion included Principal Secretary Industries Mr A.K Singh, Managing Director, Haryana Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) Mr Anurag Agarwal and other senior officers of the State Government.