Bengaluru, Oct 14 (KNN) With the focus on providing more facilities and to encourage members of backward sections to take up industrial activities in Karnataka, the new industrial policy to be announced shortly, said Jagadish Shettar, Minister for Medium and Heavy Industries.

Speaking after inaugurating the Valmiki Jayanti programme organised by district administration in association with the Department of Social Welfare on the Karnatak Vidyavardhak Sangha premises here, Shettar said that the existing industrial policy for 2014-19 would expire in the month of November and the process of drafting the new industrial policy is under progress. 

The government is likely to announce the new industrial policy in November or December, he added. 

He said “I will make all efforts to see that the new measures are announced and more scope is provided to encourage and support the members of the backward and downtrodden communities to take up industrial activities and attain economic empowerment."

Further, he stated that the new industrial policy would focus on decentralisation of industrial hubs to ensure balanced industrial growth all across the State. Over the years, all major and important industries have come up only in and around Bengaluru.

 Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Bagalkot and Vijayapura to create large-scale employment opportunities in those areas and prevent migration to bigger cities, he added.

The government gives priority to backward and downtrodden communities in allocation of land for industrial and commercial activities, subsidies for new industrial units, industrial credit and other such measures, he added.

Members of these communities should make use of the government schemes and come up in life, said Shettar.

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