IEP Chandigarh, December 6
With an aim to give a major push to the industrial development of the state especially in the Rural areas and generate employment for youth, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that the state government will soon set up 20 dedicated Rural Industrial Hubs across the state.
Chairing a meeting with the industrialists here at his office in Punjab Civil Secretariat to solicit their views on draft Industrial Policy, the Chief Minister said that it will serve the twin motives as it will give impetus to industrial development on one hand and open new vistas of employment for rural youth on the other. He said that these hubs will be equipped with state of the art infrastructure to facilitate the industrialists in setting up their units. Bhagwant Mann assured fulsome support and cooperation to the industrialists opting for setting up their units in these hubs adding that the state government is fully committed to accelerate industrialist development in Punjab.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister also mooted the idea of ‘One District, One Product’ to ensure production of specialized goods in various districts. He said that this will help in enhancing the productivity of the industrial goods and enabling the entrepreneurs to give the best quality of products from a single district. Bhagwant Mann said that a number of districts across the state have specialization in several products adding that potential of this can be tapped further by focusing on ‘One District, One Product’.
Dwelling on another agenda, the Chief Minister said that the state government is making strenuous efforts to further strengthen the single window system for facilitating the investors. He said that the pragmatic policies of the state government coupled with industrial peace and state of the art infrastructure provides a conducive atmosphere for the industrial development in the state. Bhagwant Mann pointed out that earlier single window service was merely a sham, devoid of any meaningful purpose, which not only demoralized the potential investors but also hampered the industrial development of the state.
However, the Chief Minister said that his government has ensured that the single window system works as a real facilitator to the entrepreneurs interested in investing in the state. He said that this will further be streamlined so that industrialists do not face any sort of problem. Bhagwant Mann also assured the industrialists that the pending issues pertaining to the Change in Land Use (CLU) will also be resolved soon adding that this mechanism will also be simplified further in coming days.
The Chief Minister also said that due to industrial peace in the state, Punjab is the most preferred investment destination across the globe. He said that peace and tranquility will be maintained by all means and no one will be allowed to disturb it at any cost. Bhagwant Mann unequivocally said that the protest is democratic right of everyone but no one will be allowed to derail the economic progress of the state on pretext of it.
The Chief Minister also solicited feedback on the draft Industrial & Business Development Policy, 2022. Highlighting the salient features of the draft Industrial & Business Development Policy, 2022, he said that status of Thrust Sector has been given to the Auto and Auto Components and Electrical Vehicles, Sports Goods including Fitness Equipment, Hand tools, Agricultural Machinery and Equipment, Capital Goods including Machine Tools and Paper Based Packaging Units, Activities under Circular Economy and One District One Product in respective districts.
Meanwhile, the Industrialists hailed the investor friendly policies of the Chief Minister led state government. They also said that they will contribute generously for emerging the state as a hub of industries across the globe. They also assured the Chief Minister that they will be active partners in socio-economic progress of the state.
