AWARE and AWAKE

The Union Cabinet will soon consider a new public sector enterprises policy that will define strategic sectors which would have not more than four state-owned firms, Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj said on Wednesday. As part of the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' package, the government in May had announced that there will be a maximum of four public sector companies in strategic sectors, and state-owned firms in other segments will eventually be privatised. Under the policy,  a list of strategic sectors will be notified where there will be at least one and a maximum of four public sector enterprise, apart from private sector companies. On the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for the MSME sector, Bajaj said it has not covered its total canvas and there are still some white spaces left. Under the scheme, 100 per cent guarantee coverage will be provided by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) for additional funding of up to Rs 3 lakh crore to e...

Enthused by initial response of industry with regard to the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Economic Affairs Secretary Tarun Bajaj on Wednesday said the government is considering an extension of the scheme to 7-8 more sectors to promote domestic manufacturing. With the view to make India a manufacturing hub, the government recently announced the PLI scheme for mobile phones, pharma products and medical equipment sectors. "I have a lot of confidence and hope on the PLI scheme that we have brought out for mobile phones, pharma products and medical equipment, and in the offing are about 7-8 sectors where the PLI scheme would be extended," Bajaj said while addressing a virtual CII conference. The PLI scheme, unlike other schemes, is an outcome- and output-oriented programme where manufacturers get cash incentives over 5-7 years for production, he said.