Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said a clearance has been given to auto major Maruti Suzuki for setting up a new plant over 900 acres of land at Kharkhoda in Sonipat district of the state. Khattar stated this as he chaired the meeting of the Haryana Enterprises Promotion Center.

Clearance has been given for setting up a new Maruti plant on about 900 acres of land at Kharkhoda in Sonipat, said Khattar in an official statement. He said this will further increase the production of Maruti, which will give a boost to the automobile sector in the state.

The chief minister said the ongoing talks with Maruti to set up the plant on about 900 acres of land at Kharkhoda have been finalized on Saturday. This has been discussed in detail with the senior management of the company, he said.

Along with this, the company has been given SGST (State goods and services tax) reimbursement for 15 years by the government. Besides this, the production will be further increased by the Maruti company, which will give a boost to the auto industry. Meanwhile, another company Grasim Paints will also set up its plant in Panipat, he said. Earlier it was holding talks with the state government for setting up the plant in Rohtak but due to some reasons now they will be setting up it in Panipat.

The unit will be established over 70 acres of land, informed Khattar. The chief minister said that another project regarding the production of railway parts has also been taken up in the meeting. This project will be set up in Rohtak.

On the pollution issue, the chief minister said, "It is our endeavour to reduce pollution not only in Delhi NCR but also in the cities and villages of the state. For this, serious efforts are being made by the state government. Equipment and machines have been given on subsidy to the farmers for crop residue management, he said. The chief minister said the cases of stubble burning have come down significantly in the state. As many as 183 cases of stubble burning have been reported in Haryana, he said. Meanwhile, Khattar at a separate event, told the company representatives that they can spend CSR funds anywhere for the society but it would be better if they put that money together with the government. Khattar was addressing a programme organised by Haryana State CSR (corporate social responsibility) Trust in Gurugram where more than 75 corporate leaders were invited to attend the event, said the official statement.

The chief minister said it is mandatory for companies to spend at least 2 percent of their profits as part of their social responsibility. "You can spend this money on works related to health, beautification, education etc. anywhere for the society, but it is better that you invest this money in collaboration with the government because the government knows the priorities for the development work," he said. He assured transparency and accountability in spending this fund and said that every penny spent would be accounted for.