'Punjab needs joint efforts to revive industry'

Punjab needs a policy regime of incentives and disincentives to ensure diversification of agriculture, as well as systematic government moves to drive public-private partnership in industry, social and education sectors. This was pointed out by TKA Nair, principal secretary to the Prime Minister, at a meeting here last week on Industry Consultation on ‘Punjab Industrial Review, organised by industry body FICCI and the state Punjab government.

Nair was responding to suggestions by industry leaders and the recommendations of the report on ‘Medium-term Strategy for Recovery and Growth of the Industrial Sector in Punjab’ by Isher Judge Ahluwalia, chairperson, Icrier, and a lead consultant with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

According to Ahluwalia, the report identifies the main ingredients for industrial development in Punjab as natural resource development, infrastructure development to overcome the locational challenge, human resource development and creating an investor-friendly environment.

The report calls for setting up the Blue Ribbon Investment Commission under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with members comprising the chief secretary, a few major industrialists operating in the state, among others.

The Commission should take these recommendations forward, prioritise them, elaborate and modify them if necessary, in order to operationalise the report’s recommendations.

State Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh disclosed that the state government had constituted a group headed by the chief secretary and secretaries of all departments to chalk out a comprehensive industrial strategy.