CM Sukhu lays foundation stone of Rs 268 crore Pepsi bottling plant at Kandrori in Kangra

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that this would be the biggest industry in the district and provide more than two thousand employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday laid the foundation stone of the Pepsi bottling plant of Varun Beverages Limited to be built at a cost of Rs 268 crore at Kandrori in Kangra. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that this would be the biggest industry in the district and provide more than two thousand employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth.

Himachal is a suitable destination for investment and the state government is providing much-needed facilities to the investors, he said, adding that the roads leading to the industrial belts will be improved. To make the State self-reliant, the Government is taking necessary measures despite of "inheriting huge debt" from the BJP government, stated the Chief Minister.

Foreseeing the fiscal health of the State, the government is working tirelessly to bring back the derailed economy on the track and it will take three to four years to recover, he reiterated. However, the economy of the state has improved by 20 per cent in the last one year and the government has set a target of becoming self-reliant by the year 2027 and making Himachal the most prosperous state of the country by the year 2032, he remarked.

"Our government mulls to make changes in the industrial policy as well to generate more avenues of employment besides providing better facilities for the investors. Many other big industrial houses will be set up in the Kangra district in the near future," he said. The government has launched the first phase of the Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Self-Employment Start-up Scheme under which a 50 per cent subsidy is being provided to the youth for the purchase of e-taxi and they will also be ensured fixed income, he said and added that in the second phase of this scheme, youth would be encouraged to set up solar energy projects, so that they can get better means of livelihood.

Along with this, a scheme is on the anvil in the next budget for uplifting the agrarian economy and benefits the farmers, he said. Speaking on the occasion, Industries Minister Harshwardhan Chauhan said that all the formalities for setting up the plant were completed in three months.

He said that in the last year, investment worth Rs 10 thousand crore has come into Himachal Pradesh. Special attention was given to the development of the Kangra district and efforts were afoot to make it the 'Tourism Capital' of Himachal.

He said that the state government was working with commitment to open more employment avenues for the youth and the Rajiv Gandhi Start-up scheme was the first step in this direction, fulfilling one of the guarantees. Thanking the Chief Minister, the Local MLA, Mahendra Rajan said that the beginning of establishing industries in the Kandrori belt will make the area economically prosperous.

He said that during the tenure of the UPA government, Rs 102 crore was provided for the establishment of industries in Malout of his assembly constituency, due to which industrial investment started coming here. He said that there is a huge production of Kinnow, Orange etc. in the Indora assembly constituency and the establishment of the plant will also benefit the horticulturists of the area.Chairman Varun Beverages Limited Ravikant Jaipuria said that this Pepsi plant would be ready in a year. "We will expand the health facilities in the area under corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the company will also provide assistance for the skill development of the local youth", said Jaipuria.

He expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister and the state government for the assistance provided in setting up the plant. (ANI)

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