Mumbai, May 13 (IANS): Nearly two months after lockdown, the country's biggest industrialised state has started limping back to normalcy with the government permitting around 65,000 industries to resume operations, according to Industry Minister Subhash Desai, here on Wednesday.

Of these, over 35,000 industries have already started production with over 9,00,000 employees reporting for work.

The Minister expressed the hope that Maharashtra would benefit in a big way from the Rs 20 lakh crore package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.

Last week, Desai had announced resumption of the industrial sector with conditions in view of the Covid-19 pandemic to kick-start production and ensure jobs.

Reviewing the scenario with the Aurangabad district authorities, Desai announced a special task force, comprising senior officials, to attract investment to the state.

"They will negotiate with industry representatives and officials from the USA, Japan, the UK, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and other nations for investment in Maharashtra," Desai said.

In anticipation of the flood of investors, the state has reserved some 40,000 hectares land to cater to their needs through the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.

Various formalities and clearances required to set up units would also be expedited with minimum time delays to ensure that the industries become functional quickly, the Minister said.

The government is making special efforts to ensure availability of skilled, semi-skilled and other workers for new industries.