Patna: The industries department on Wednesday presented its budget demand of Rs 622 crore in the Legislative Assembly and outlined its key initiatives, including those that are already in the implementation stage.

In a statement tabled in the Assembly, industries minister Jai Kumar Singh said his department was focusing on the youth, who form a major part of Bihar's population. Policies were being formulated and implemented to create a friendly environment for start-ups.

"Bihar Start-up Policy 2017 has been implemented in the state. Its online portal has received 4,377 applications till February 2018. So far, 10 review meetings have been held at which 905 applications have been selected, and have been tagged with 19 incubators for grooming and development," Singh said.

He said a total of 727 investment proposals have been received under Bihar Industrial Investment Promotion Policy 2016 till now of which 649 proposals worth Rs 9,119 crore have been awarded stage-I clearance.

Among the investment proposals, a total of 311 are related to the food-processing sector, which are expected to attract around Rs 1,512 crore investments.

"So far, 30 new units have started functioning in the state. We have assured financial encouragement to 84 units in which investments worth Rs 1,068 crore are incorporated," Singh added.

The minister also emphasised that the state government has put in place a single-window clearance portal recently, which will provide approval facilities related to 42 "no-objection" clearances and licences needed to establish industries. The portal will also ensure stage-I clearance by the state investment promotion board (SIPB).

Other sectors like powerloom, silk, textile are also being developed. The chief minister cluster development scheme for small industries have also been initiated. Under the scheme "common services centres" will be established to provide facilities of costly equipment to the entrepreneurs.

"Money has been released for various clusters at different places for making jhoola (swings), silao khaja (a kind of traditional sweet) and mother of pearl buttons. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has inaugurated a special cluster for scheduled castes as a pilot project. Clusters for manufacturing brass utensils, as well as, footwear cluster have also been approved," Singh added.

Units have been established to make various products such as jaggery, sugar and neera from unfermented palm tree sap.

The large and medium industries being established in the state include diesel locomotive engine manufacturing unit at Marhaura in Saran by General Electric of the US and Shree Cement unit at Aurangabad at a cost of Rs 490 crore.