Chennai, Apr 4 (KNN)  The Tamil Nadu State Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO) will create seven additional industrial estates in six districts to encourage Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Steps were being taken to create industrial estates in Villupuram (Kattu Vannanjur), Dharmapuri (Parvathanahalli and Echampatti), Ariyalur (Mallur), Cuddalore (Periyanesalur), Ramnad (Sakkarakottai) and Namakkal (Vettambadi) districts, the Minister for Rural Industries P Mohan said in the Assembly yesterday.

Further, he said that infrastructure facilities in the electrical and electronic industrial estates in Hosur, Salem and Madurai, and porcelain industrial estate in Vriddhachalam would be upgraded at a cost of 2 crore.

The ministry also intends to upgrade five Chemical Testing Laboratories in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Salem and Tuticorin.   While Rs 2 crore has been allocated for strengthening infrastructure, Rs 15 lakh will be provided for purchase of additional testing equipment.

The Government Scientific Glass Training Centre in Guindy provides a specialised certificate course in the manufacture of scientific glass apparatus.   However, owing to rapid growth in industrialisation, the enrolment ratio of students had come down recently as a result of which the Glass Training Centre was not in the position to offer the certificate course any longer.

To ensure that the course is continued, the Minister said that it would be merged with the Government Production Centre for Scientific Glass Apparatus at Coimbatore, allocating Rs 30 lakh for the move.  The training centre in Guindy would be shifted to Coimbatore.

In addition, Mohan said seven digital weighing scales would be purchased for 7 out of 15 Industrial Co-operative Tea Factories for which Rs 50 lakh had been sanctioned and Rs 7.50 lakh for nine Industrial Co-operative Societies towards computer and printers.  (KNN)