Industry bodies Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA) have expressed serious concerns over higher power tariff for industries. In Maharashtra, tariffs range between Rs 7.50 to Rs 8 per unit, against Rs 5.50 to 6 per unit in Gujarat, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. The bodies argued during their representation to the visiting 15th Finance Commission headed by former revenue secretary NK Singh, that state needs to be provided substantial relief to deal with rising competition. CII, FICCI, and MCCIA said though Maharashtra is a favoured investment destination, it needs to improve in terms of ease of doing business by reducing the number of regulations, simplifying procedures in land acquisition, and promoting entrepreneur-friendly environment. CII suggested additional floor space index (FSI) be granted to green buildings. To promote micro, small and medium enterprises, which has emerged as a highly vibrant and dynamic sector, CII said the state government needs to create a suitable ecosystem and labour laws need to be further liberalised. FICCI stressed the need for merit-based incentives, apart from existing sops so that more industries can come up in the less developed regions. MCCIA president Santosh Mandlecha told DNA, "The incentives provided by the state government should augment employment generation if the industry is labour intensive. There is a need to focus on promoting MSMEs in manufacturing the sector to create more jobs." NEED OF THE HOUR

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