Shimila: Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand States would take up the issue of getting Special Industrial Package restored upto the original date of March, 2013 and get it extended upto March, 2020. This decision was taken in a High- level meeting held between Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh and Dr. Ramesh Pokhariyal 'Nishank', Chief Minister of Uttrakhand at Peterhoff here today.

Both the Chief Ministers said that the States would fight for its rights at all fronts and write to the Prime Minister a joint letter urging him to restore the package which had originally been announced upto March, 2013 and then extend the same upto march, 2020 as a compensatory relief to the States for the uncertainty which had marred more industrial investments in both the States. They said that while the North Eastern States had been granted Special Industrial Package for twenty years and the incentives were much more as compared to the incentives available to both the States. He said that Package without restoration of exemption in Central Excise Duty was meaningless and the same exemption needed to be made available to the States upto the original date announced by former Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003. They said that the matter had been taken up repeatedly at all level but no relief delivered by the Centre. They said that industrial expansion was in progress in both the States and would benefit the State only on restoration of the Central Excise Duties to the original year of 2013. They said that it had never happened in the history of the country that the package announced by one Government had been withdrawn by the successive Government. They resolved that the matter would be raised at all level to get justice delivered to the people of Himalayan States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand.

Smt. Asha Swarup, Chief Secretary, Shri Bhim Sen, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Shri Rajesh Nathani, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Uttrakhand, Shri Rajender Chauhan, Industrial Advisor and senior officers of Uttrakhand were present among others in the meeting.