Govt clears Rs 20,000-crore pulp paper manufacturing unit in Raigad

300 acres of land already allotted for project at Dherand in Raigad district.

The Maharashtra state cabinet committee for industries on Thursday gave approval to projects worth Rs 25,000 crore, which includes a Rs 20,000-crore pulp paper manufacturing project in Raigad.

The third meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee of industries department was held on Thursday in which a project worth Rs 20,000 crore of Sinar Mas Pulp paper manufacturing project in Raigad district was approved along with some other projects. The MoU for the project was signed earlier during the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Earlier the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led government received flak from the Opposition for losing the multibillion dollar Vedanta-Foxconn project to Gujarat from Maharashtra.

According to officials, the Cinnar Mas Pulp and Paper Pvt. Ltd. (Asia Paper and Pulp) is the largest paper manufacturing industry in Asia and it will be making an investment of Rs 20,000 crore for the first time in India and that too in Maharashtra.

The Rs 20,000 crore will be invested in two phases and accordingly, 300 acres of land has already been allotted for this project at Dherand in Raigad district, and the government intends to provide more land as per the demand of the project.

The government has also announced that Gencrest Bio Products Private Ltd group will be setting up a Rs 650 crore industrial unit to manufacture various products out of banana waste at Khadki Kinhi (Bhusawal) in Jalgaon district. An official said it is the only patent holder industry of this kind of product in the world and it is implementing this project in the world based on eco-friendly technology.

In the meeting, they also accepted the proposal of the state high-powered committee to keep the annual average subsidy payment limit of 12.5 per cent for the industries such as Fiat India Automobiles Ltd Pune, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd in Nashik, Jindal Polyfilm Ltd in Nashik and JSW Dolvi, Raigad.

Meanwhile, in order to give boost to the industrial sector of Maharashtra, which slowed down due to Covid-19, the State Cabinet Sub-Committee for Industries has decided to extend the period of industrial incentive grant by two years to approve the incentive claims of the industries in the state, who could not file their refund claims earlier.

The officials further said that, considering the recommendations made earlier by the committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary in accordance with the various demands of the entities in the state, the Cabinet Sub-Committee has also decided to give benefits to the different industry units in 11 cases in the context of incentives and other demands.