APIIC to offer land to Ryots for small units

RAJAHMUNDRY: Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) chairman Srighakolapu Sivarama Subramanyam has said plans are afoot to provide incentives to the farmers who help the APIIC in land acquisition for setting up industries in the state.Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said apart from paying compensation to the farmers for the land acquired, 10 per cent of it would be allotted to the farmers or their family members to set up small scale industries. The APIIC had already approved the proposal.An order in this regard will be issued soon. At present, the APIIC has a land bank of 2.1 lakh acres. Out of which, 75,000 acres have been allotted to entrepreneurs for setting up industries. About 40 per cent of proposed industries have already come up in the allotted land.Notices have been issued to the industrialists who failed to set up their units in the allotted land. It has cancelled the land allotment to 521 industries, he said.Andhra Pradesh is in the first place in the country in development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Many industrialists are evincing interest in setting up industries in the state because of the infrastructure and other incentives being provided by the state government.Subramanyam said the APIIC acquired 12,552 acres of land after he assumed charge as its chairman 18 months ago and 9,500 acres were given to industries.To attract NRI investments, the APIIC officials will attend the TANA meeting scheduled to be held in San Franciso from July 1 to 3 in which 4,500 Telugu people will participate.The state government will also provide various incentives to the industrialists who set up firms in IT corridors at Warangal, Tirupati, Kakinada and Visakhapatnam.Priority will be given to petro, pharma and automobile units. The APIIC officials will also attend a business summit at New Jersey to attract foreign investment.