Patna, Mar 5 (PTI) Bihar Industries Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Friday said the government will extend a red carpet welcome to investors and announced that anyone willing to invest more than Rs 1,000 crore in the state will be received by him at the airport.

Taking a resolve to change the fortune of every individual under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Hussain appealed to people of Bihar to come to their land and invest according to their capabilities.

The state government will provide all possible support to them, the minister said in the assembly.

"We will go anywhere in the world through Bihar Foundation to approach investors," he said.

The Bihar Foundation is a platform set up to facilitate interaction between the state government and the Bihari diaspora.

Replying to a question during a debate on the budgetary demand of Rs 1285.17 crore for the industries Department, Hussain said, he was proud that he has been given responsibility of the industries department.

The budget was passed by voice vote amid boycott by the entire opposition expressing dissatifaction over the government's reply.

Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav of the RJD led the entire opposition in boycotting the government's reply, saying the minister has not explained as to how industries will be developed in the state as the minister concerned has no vision or blueprint for industrial development.

Hussain said that the government has worked a lot for improvement of roads, energy and water supply projects, and now people have huge expectations from the industrial sector for creating employment opportunities in the state.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is determined to generate employment opportunities by setting up industries in the state and no power can change our intention, not even the oppositions boycott.

"The investor who comes to Bihar will feed in maize from one side of a machine and get dollar from the other side. Similarly one will feed sugarcane from one side and get ethanol from other side," Hussain said drawing parallels with Congress leader Rahul Gandhis promise of making "Potato to Gold" at an election rally in Gujarat few years ago.

However, the minister said, he is not making claims that if anyone feeds in potatoes from one side of a machine, the person will get gold from the other side.

Nitish Kumar had mooted the idea of promoting ethanol production from sugarcane way back in 2006-07, he said, pointing out that had the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre given its nod to the proposal at that time, things would have been completely different today and not a single sugar mill would have closed.

Now ethanol can be produced directly from sugarcane without producing sugar, Hussain said.

Ethanol can also be made from maize, rice and "rotten rice of FCI godowns", he said.

The minister exuded confidence that not a single food processing park will be left in the state which will not become functional.

Agro-based, ethanol-based and food processing-based industries will be set up in the state which will benefit farmers the most, Hussain said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)