It's a bit unfortunate that despite being home to some of the largest multi-national corporations (MNCs) and high end industries, Goa is mostly perceived as an industry-unfriendly state. Something has clearly gone wrong with the image management here. True that Goa has its share of problems like small land-bank, teething water and power issues and delays in giving approvals to industries. But, it's not as if industries haven't faced these issues in other states of India.
So, what has dented Goa's image as an investment destination? We all know that there is narrative that lakhs of square meters of land in the state are stuck in special-economic-zone (SEZ) related litigation and a number of industries had to suffer while waiting for government departments to give approvals. But, there is another side to this reality too, where some reputed industries have set up their base in Goa, which the state should be proud of. However, no one has made a narrative out of it. Take the example of Optel Vision, which has a manufacturing unit in Verna. Their proposal was cleared by the investment promotion board (IPB). Optel Vision's Goa unit is the first time the company has chosen to move out of Canada. The company manufactures vision inspection systems for pharmaceutical companies, which is a high-end job. Engineers in Goa can now find work in companies like Optel Vision rather than leave their state to pursue their dreams.
Earlier too, a number of reputed companies have set up their manufacturing facilities in Goa. Putzmeister Concrete Machines, which is a German company into manufacturing of concrete pumps, has a factory in Verna Industrial Estate. From this unit, Putzmeister Concrete Machines exports products to several other countries in the world. And, its Verna factory is world-class.
Nestle's, MRF's, Cipla's and Siemens's manufacturing operations have existed in Goa for a long time now. Imagine putting all these names on a presentation and speaking to industrialists to attract them to come to Goa. That itself will help in creating a good image. Not to forget, to attract industries, the state government will have to make efforts to improve the basic infrastructure like water and power availability, roads and even internet connectivity by leaps and bounds.
At the same time, there is a need of a very accurate database, which has information about various industries, nature of work, employment and etc. Several industrial estate associations, trade bodies and state government can come together for this. Only with all these efforts that the state will be able to spread good word about its own industrial potential.
