To stop the exodus of industries from Himachal Pradesh, the state government will reduce electricity tarrif by Rs 1 per unit as compared to neighbouring states.

This was disclosed by Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan.

He said there are 100 entrepreneurs, which have applied to disconnect their electricity connections. Many entrepreneurs have surrendered their GST number and information about this has been sought from the Excise and Taxation Department.

The industry minister said this in response to a joint question by MLAs Janak Raj and Jeet Ram Katwal during the Question Hour in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Both the MLAs asked how many new industries have been started in the state from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. They also sought to know how many industrial units in the state are closing down and migrating to other states.

On this, Chauhan said 5,293 new industries have been started in the state from January 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.

The minister informed that only one unit in the state, M/s Kiran P. International Private Limited, has migrated to Haryana state.

The Minister further said under the Single Window Clearance Committee, 402 entrepreneurs have been given permission to start work. This will lead to an investment of Rs 8459 crore in the state and 29970 people will get employment.

MLA Bikram Thakur, dissatisfied with the answer of the industries minister, accused him of misleading the House and said that the reality is that industries are migrating from the state due to the wrong policies of the government.

Responding to this, the industries minister said there are 5,293 industries in the state which includes all small, medium and large scale industries.

He further stated that closure of industries is a normal process and that the entrepreneurs do not close their industry by informing the government.

“There can be many reasons for the closure of industries. Many close their industries due to losses, while many others are closing due to other reasons,” he stated.

He said that there are about 100 such units in the state, which have applied for their lease transfer.

He said that there is no information about the closure any factory, however the government will find out he reason for it.

He assured the House that to stop the migration of industries in the state, the electricity tariff will be reduced by Rs 1 per unit as compared to the neighboring states.

Furthermore, the subsidy given to the industries will continue, so that the industries do not migrate, he stated.