Proposals for setting up 2,249 industries were registered with the Board of Investment (BoI) in the last 17 months up to March with an estimated investment of Tk 362.63 billion, Industries Minister Dilip Barua told the House yesterday.
In response to lawmakers' queries, Barua said a survey is going on to identify how many industries were set up by this time. However, he pointed out that shortage of power and gas, poor road network, land scarcity and global recession stood in the way of quicker industrialisation.
The minister also expected that employment of 20.35 lakh people will be created through public and private investment in the small and cottage industry sector under the sixth five-year plan (2011-2015).
Meanwhile, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Muhammad Enamul Huq said the government has taken massive plans to meet the growing demand of power and gas.
Besides increased power generation, Huq said a total of 500 megawatt power will be imported by 2012 and the construction of power transmission line from Baharampur in India to Bherama in Bangladesh is progressing now.
On the investment scenario, Dilip Barua said of the proposed 2,249 industries, 138 will be set up on joint venture with Tk 825.30 crore, 65 with Tk 5,503 crore cent percent foreign investment and the rest 2046 units with Tk 29,935.5 crore local investment.
The industries minister said the government is implementing different projects for expansion and boosting the small and cottage industries sector.
The projects include active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) park, development of Benarsi village and revival of the Bscic industrial belt in Rangpur and Sirajganj.
Besides, the minister said, the government has undertaken some other projects, including setting up garments industrial park, plastic and automobile estates and industry city.
He said his ministry has recommended declaring 31industries as thrust sectors in the proposed Industry Policy 2010. “Once the policy is approved, the industrial sector will be healthier,” he hoped.
The government has planned to set up three more urea fertiliser factories in phases, the minister informed the parliament.
The state minister for power said the government has taken measures to generate 9,426 mw power by 2015 using liquid fuel, coal, duel fuel and renewable energy, considering the shortage of gas.
Besides, he said, the government has also moved to import power from neighboring countries and repair and overhaul the age-old power plants.
“Load-shedding will come to a tolerable level by 2012 once the projects are implemented,” he said.
On shortage of gas, the state minister said the daily demand of gas is 2,300 million cubic feet, but the maximum gas production capacity of the existing gas wells is 2,000 million cubic feet.
Huq said his ministry will soon place the draft of energy policy for the cabinet's approval, while the formulation of a coal policy is underway .
-The Daily Star