Telangana government is keen to increase the share of manufacturing sector in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), a senior official of its Industries Department said on Friday.

“Industry is now the focus… government wants to sustain industrial development,” Commissioner of Industries K. Manicka Raj told a conference organised jointly by frontline trade and industry bodies FTAPCCI and Assocham in the city.

Services sector contributed over 50 per cent to the State’s GSDP and measures to maintain this would be continued. The State government, he said, wanted to ensure more employment opportunities and for this share of the industry must increase.

Apart from unveiling a zero-graft industrial policy, with measures to improve the ease of doing business Telangana government, Mr.Raj said, had created a huge land bank for industry. Ten per cent of water resources had been earmarked for industrial purposes.

For mega projects - investment of over Rs.200 crore and providing employment to more than 1,000 persons - the government has not specified incentives. Since it wanted to encourage such projects, entailing big investments and creating large number jobs, it has kept the issue of incentives open and subject to discussion, he said. Vice-chairman and managing director of TSIIC E.V.Narasimha Reddy said Rs.20,000 crore is to invested on development of infrastructure in Hyderabad. Plans are afoot to improve connectivity with ports. Proposals are to be invited for development of a dry port and plans are on cards to tie up with Krishnapatnam and Machilipatnam port to facilitate international trade from the State

A study report, by CARE Ratings for Assocham, said setting up of a dry port, with well-connected road and railway links, would be ideal for transferring goods to the seaports in Andhra Pradesh.

FTAPCCI president Anil Reddy said the people have high expectations from the government to fulfil the needs, primarily jobs, development of backward areas and improving standards of living.