Date:25/11/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/11/25/stories/2004112515300500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Concessions sought for small industries

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV. 24. The Federation of Andhra Pradesh Industries (FAPI) has expressed concern at the deteriorating financial situation and demanded that the Government extend concessions, failing which it would launch an agitation.

At a press conference the FAPI president, B.V. Rama Rao, said that according to official statistics, a whopping 38,000 small industries had been forced to down shutters in the past decade.

Among the demands of entrepreneurs are waiver of power bill arrears, commercial taxes, excise duty, accumulated interest on bank loans and the contribution of the industries to the Provident Fund and Employees State Insurance.

The FAPI would conduct a meeting of all those entrepreneurs here on December 4 to chalk out an action plan to focus attention on their problems.