No incentives for industrial units that do not have 80 per cent locals in their workforce: Himachal minister

Shimla, September 22

Industrial units not abiding by the government’s directive to have 80 per cent locals in their workforce will not get any incentive, Himachal Pradesh industry minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said on Friday.

About 81 per cent of Himachalis are working in the 27,719 industrial units functional in the state. At present a total of 2,28,977 workers have been employed in these units, out of which 1,86,289 workers are from Himachal, Chauhan informed the state assembly while replying to a question of KL Thakur (MLA from Nalagarh) and Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (MLA from Barsar).

He said that 80 per cent bonafide Himachalis would be engaged in the industrial enterprises as per the criteria of Himachal Pradesh Industrial Investment Policy-2019.

The percentage of Himachalis is 72.60 per cent in Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh industrial area where 94,560 workers are working in 2,714 industrial units, he added.

Hoshyar Singh, independent MLA from Dehra, said that the locals are not given employment in the Central University. The minister assured Singh that the matter would be looked into.

Responding to BJP MLA Sukh Ram Chaudhary’s suggestion that names and other details of the employees should be put on the notice board of the industrial units, the minister said that his department would ensure to have the details.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the people of Himachal do not work as labourers and are inclined towards clerical and technical works, and as a result a large number of people from Nepal are engaged in apple belts while in lower belts 50 per cent of the labourers working in fields are from Orissa.