Shimla, (IANS) : The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday granted approval to 16 proposals for setting up new industrial units and expansion of existing ones involving total investment of Rs 147 crore, an official said.

A meeting here of the state-level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority, presided over by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, cleared the proposals that would provide employment to over 800 people, a government spokesperson told IANS.

Among others, the proposals of Agriline Industries, Bhagwati Him Agro Engineers, Renuka Water Technologies, Him Farm Fresh and Nixi Laboratories Private Ltd were approved.

The expansion proposals of Eastman Auto Power Ltd, Pooja Cotspin, Shree Naina Plastic, Milestone Gears Private Ltd, A.G. International and R.M. Chemicals Private Ltd also got the nod.

To woo investors, the Himachal Pradesh government has decided in principle to adopt the industries-by-invitation approach.

Currently, the state has over Rs 20,000 crore investment in industry.

Official data shows that the state got maximum investment when there was a special industrial package of the central government.

Most investment was in pharmaceuticals, food processing, textiles, packaging and light engineering sectors.

Tourism as well as horticulture and hydropower generation are major contributors to Himachal Pradesh’s economic development.