Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday urged the Centre to extend tax concessions to help the state attract more industrial investment. He was speaking here at an interactive meeting in connection with the Destination Madhya Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Mr Chouhan said he had discussed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh possibilities of extending the concessions to the state, on the lines of the Centre’s tax sops for Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The two states were in 2003 declared priority industrial states with tax and central excise concessions, to help them attract industrial investment.
Central aid
The state had also requested the Centre to help set up  industries and generate employment in the Sardar Sarovar Dam region. He highlighted the advantages of investing in Madhya Pradesh, including the state’s natural resources and track record in information technology, tourism, agro-processing and automobile industries.
He added that over the past two to three years, the state had managed to shrug off its   stigma. Chouhan admitted that acquisition of land for industrial special economic zones was an issue in Madhya Pradesh, like in other states. He claimed that the state had managed to facilitate amicable land settlement between the farmers and industrialists. A single-window  system was in place.
Under this system, government officials would sit with the land owners and industrialists and ensure smooth transfer of land.
Officials who accompanied him,  said the state, with its investor-friendly real estate prices, pleasant climate and sound road infrastructure, was an ideal destination for investment.