Insufficient Funds Hamper ‘One District One Industry’ Program in Sudur Paschim Province

The implementation of the ‘One District One Industry’ program in Sudur Paschim Province faces significant hurdles due to insufficient funds, according to the Industry, Commerce, and Consumer Interest Protection Directorate under the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forestry, and Environment.

The Directorate has highlighted the challenges in executing the program, attributing them to the inadequate allocation of funds by the Sudurpaschim Province government. With a budget of only five hundred thousand rupees allotted for the entire program across all nine districts of the province for the current fiscal year 2080-81, the Directorate expressed concerns over the feasibility of program implementation.

Yashoda Bohra, Information Officer of the Directorate, emphasized the difficulties arising from the provincial government’s low funding, noting that it impedes the effective execution of the ‘one district one industry’ initiative. The program aims to solicit proposals, collect applications, and provide subsidies for the purchase of necessary materials for selected industries.

In response to the funding constraints, the Directorate outlined measures to prioritize subsidies for technology acquisition among industrialists who have not received such support in the past three financial years. However, with the limited budget of Rs 500,000 to be divided among nine districts, the Directorate indicated the necessity of distributing funds among selected industrialists on a shared basis to maximize impact.

The ‘One District One Industry’ program holds significant potential for promoting industrial growth and economic development in Sudur Paschim Province. However, without adequate financial resources, its successful implementation remains a challenge, underscoring the urgent need for increased funding to realize the program’s objectives and foster sustainable industrialization in the region.