GUNTUR: Bapatla District Joint Collector Prakhar Jain has emphasised the need to encourage entrepreneurship and boost industrial development in the district. Chairing a district-level committee meeting on industrial promotion at the Collectorate on Thursday, he urged officials to facilitate the export of locally produced goods.
Jain highlighted the importance of exporting horticultural products, organic grains, and pulses, stating that such efforts would support producers, enhance production, and drive economic growth. He also directed officials to raise awareness about government schemes to benefit entrepreneurs.
Providing an update on industrial schemes, he reported that under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), 189 applications were received, with Rs 2.81 crore sanctioned for 90 industrial units. Under the PM Vishwakarma Scheme, 36,300 applications were received, of which 4,771 were approved and forwarded to the government. Subsidies amounting to Rs 9.13 crore have been proposed for 400 units under these initiatives.
Reviewing the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) survey, he noted that 68.87% of the work had been completed, identifying 56,641 industrial units. Geo-tagging has been completed for 36,744 industrial electricity connections, with instructions to expedite the remaining process using village secretariat energy assistants.
Following State government directives, the administration has begun identifying 75 acres of land for an industrial park. District Industries General Manager B Srinivasa Rao and officials from various departments attended the meeting.