KARACHI, Aug 4: The Sindh government has allocated Rs600 million for the development of industrial infrastructure in the province during the fiscal year 2006-07, indicating a huge increase of 66 per cent from last year’s allocation of Rs361 million.

Major projects to be implemented include Rs50 million water supply line from Keenjhar Lake to Nooriabad industrial estate; extension of small industrial estate in Hyderabad (Rs65.3 million ); small industrial estate in Mithi, district Tharparker; Sindh Handicraft Display Centre in Islamabad (Rs31 million); small industrial estate in Karachi (Rs30 million); small industrial estate in Ghakar Phatak, Malir (Rs30 million); and development of infrastructure in four industrial estates -- Nooriabad, Kotri, Hyderabad and Sukkur.

The government will also spend Rs690 million on the development of manpower and employment sector. The projects include opening of technical training centres in Sukkur and Hyderabad, and a special centre in Mithi for training of skills required for coal mining in Thar.

The projects also envisaged construction of a building for employment exchange in Sindh and a survey to assess the efficiency of existing technical training centres and viability of the existing technical trades and new trades in job market.

The scheme for manpower development includes setting up of vocational training centres for boys and girls at the Northern Bypass small industrial estate in Karachi and construction of buildings and provision of latest equipment for the existing seven youth vocational centres in the province.

Murli Manohar Gangaramani, additional secretary industries, Sindh, told Dawn on Friday that the allocation had been increased to facilitate the private sector to set up industries. He said a network of industrial estates had been laid throughout the province with a view to accelerating the process of industrialisation.

He said the government had ensured equal distribution of funds for industrial development in urban and rural areas. In reply to a query, he said 90 per cent of the funds earmarked for industrial development in the province during the last fiscal year had been fully utilised.

Mr Murli said the government had completely liberalised the industrial sector and now no NOC was required for setting up of new industries.