Bhubaneswar: MSME associations of Odisha Sunday urged the state government to approve conversion of leasehold land to freehold land for MSME units in the state.
Addressing a press conference held in city, associations’ convener Manas Ranjan Das said “The associations have suggested that the MSME units are now allowed to apply for conversion of leasehold land to free hold, use the land only for commercial use, and pay a reasonable conversion premium only after completion of 10 years of operation.”
“Such conversion is not new since developed states like Gujarat, Delhi, Telengana and Utter Pradesh have already implemented it keeping in view the generation next’s needs”, he added.
Substantiating their demand, the association said that conversion of land from leasehold to freehold has also been recommended by the one-man commission headed by former Union Cabinet Secretary Pravat Kumar.
Meanwhile, Satwik Swain, secretary general of the Odisha Assembly of Small and Medium Enterprises (OASME), said that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik gave a patient hearing to them and agreed in principle to look into the matter in a positive way during a meeting held February 24 with industry associations.
Swain said, “We submitted the representations collected from 400 MSMEs and presented it to the Chief Minister for his approval. The representations focused on the conversion of leasehold land to freehold land. We expect to get a positive response.”
According to a report issued by the associations, around 50,000 MSMEs are operating in 106 industrial estates, wherein around 4,200 units have been allocated nearly 5,000 acres against due payment. These 4,200 units provide direct employment to 15,00,000 workers supporting around 5,00,000 families.
Members of OYEA, OIA, OSSIA, OASME, OIF, UPMA, AIBEA, NOCCI, BCCI, RCCI, and UCCI were present at the press meet.
PNN
