State govt to encourage industries to re-open from Apr 20: Jagadish Shettar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is keen that industries operating in rural areas reopen from April 20, Major and Medium Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar indicated on Saturday.

He told PTI that he held discussions with industrialists in the district headquarters town of Dharwad in north Karnataka on Friday and would so with Bengaluru-based ones on April 20.

Shettar noted that as per Central government guidelines, industries operating beyond city corporation and municipality areas have been allowed to reopen from Monday with certain norms and safeguards.

In this background, industries in rural areas can restart operations.

It will be helpful from economy point of view as well as employment to lakhs of workers, the Minister said.

When Industry Ministers from states were consulted by the Centre a few days ago, he had stressed the importance of reopening industries with some restrictions in rural areas.

He said the loss to various industries in the state because of the lockdown is yet to be estimated.

Certain demands of the industries have been forwarded to the Centre as those issues come under the purview of the Union Government, Shettar added.