GUWAHATI, Nov 5 - Yoga guru Swami Ramdev today said that he will take up the issue of continuing the special industrial benefits to Assam and other northeastern states with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, so that more industries could come up in Assam and a perceived fear against doing business in the State is alleviated.
The Patanjali Ayurved Limited is setting up the Patanjali Herbal and Mega Food Park � the largest manufacturing unit of the FMCG major, in Ghoramari of Tezpur. In the State for foundation laying ceremony of the project tomorrow, Ramdev told mediapersons here that the project, with an annual production capacity of 10 lakh metric tonne, would be completed within March next year.
Patanjali would also engage itself in the marketing and sale of indigenous products, including eri and muga silk, handloom, cane and bamboo furniture and other products from agriculture and allied industries. �We are also coming in the field of textile and ready garment manufacturing, in which the fine quality silk of Assam can also be promoted,� he said.
Asked whether he will take up the matter of extending the benefits of the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, scheduled to expire in 2017, he said he would talk to the Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister regarding the special industrial benefits, which would encourage investment in the region.
Ramdev also informed the media about Patanjali�s big-time foray into the world of e-commerce from next year. Though ensuring supply at the doorsteps, the venture, however, would not come with huge discounts as being offered by other e-commerce sites.
�Other sites are giving huge discounts incurring losses. But Patanjali products, already inexpensive, would not lure the customers with huge discounts, though we would make purchasing easier through e-commerce,� he said.
�The project in Ghoramari would produce goods worth Rs 10 to 20 thousand crore every year giving direct employment to 5,000 youth and creating immense indirect employment opportunities through transportation, supply chain, raw material and distribution, etc,� he said.
The project, worth nearly Rs 1200 crore, is likely to start functioning from January 2017, before its completion in March.
The Patanjali Trust has already started a residential educational institution Acharyakulam in Chirang, where 150 students from poor financial background are getting education free of cost.
�We will increase the capacity of this institution to more than 500 from next year. In Patanjali, we do not have any profit-making motive and 80 per cent of the earning from our project would be spent in the field of education and the rest 20 per cent in the research of Ayurveda and research related to cow,� he stated.
Currently under CBSE, Patanjali has also proposed a separate board for the institution which is likely to get government approval soon, said Ramdev adding that 500 such Acharyakulam are being set up in the country, with further expansion plans.
The institutes would be offering world-class modern education with yoga and spiritual orientation. Ramdev also went to the newly established Patanjali Yogpeeth in Mirza today.
