Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, October 29: People’s Party of Punjab chief Manpreet Singh Badal today said none would dispute over the fact that the state badly needs fresh investment on a large scale but this can’t happen on the graveyard of the existing industry that is dying.
Reacting to the much hyped second progressive Punjab summit, he said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal should also have taken the doyens of industry around the state to the once flourishing industrial towns like Batala, the home of foundry industry, and Mandi Gobindgarh not far away from Mohali, one the steel town of the state, that have turned into industrial graveyards.
“Like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sukhbir is also fond of managing good headlines. However, these headlines can’t camouflage the turmoil that Punjab has been witnessing for more than a month now with the situation continuing to be critical. Congenial environment is essential to attracting fresh investment, besides other factors”, he added.
He said while declaring food processing industry as the zero tax industry, Sukhbir ought to clarify whether this concession was meant for investors from outside or this was going to be his own latest area of interest. He said his doubt was based on the fact that the transport policy was tweaked by the present state government in favour of super luxury buses and this area is now Sukhbir’s monopoly. The same could happen in food processing also.
He especially referred to the concession of low tariff power for new industrial projects saying it would further cripple whatever remained of the existing industrial units but it was strange that this aspect had been overlooked while rolling out red carpet to industrial doyens. He said the existing industrial infrastructure in the state has been labor intensive and this aspect should be given due importance while setting up new projects. He said the Guru Gobind Singh refinery in Bathinda was no more being talked about as it did not generate much employment. In case capital intensive projects were going to be set up, these should have the potential to encourage ancilliaries.
He stressed that the new investment should not be at the cost of the existing industry and the new projects should have the potential to give employment to the large work force that is unemployed.
