The industry expects the new Nitish government in Bihar to bring in comprehensive regulatory reforms to make the State an attractive destination for operations.

“The new government could leverage the public-private-partnership model, including FDI participation, to boost the delivery of services and improve efficiencies. It also needs to undertake land zoning exercises to identify available land for industrialisation,” said CII President Sumit Mazumder.

He added that State Land Bank Corporation can then develop land banks for industrial development.

In a statement, CII also said that there is a need to develop an integrated infrastructure development plan. Proper infrastructure such as approach road, railway connectivity, quality and regular power supply, should be made available to existing and proposed industrial parks.

Meanwhile, Assocham said that since the elections are now over, the industry expects the Centre and the State governments to work together for economic reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST). “We hope the political parties with different hues will rise to the call of national interest,” said DS Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.

TS Bhasin, Chairman of the Engineering Export Promotion Council, said the State can well become a global hub for engineering exports for SMEs. “Bihar is endowed with the right kind of resources for becoming the manufacturing hub for global markets, particularly in Nepal and Myanmar,” said Bhasin.