Punjab must be developed as special industrial zone: Jakhar

Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee president Sunil Jakhar today said that in wake of immense social, economic and geographical importance of Punjab, the state must be developed as a special industrial zone.

In a statement here, Jakhar said the Congress will raise the issue to give a special economic package to the state in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, starting July 18.

The Lok Sabha member from Gurdaspar said that Punjab being a border state was sword arm of the country.

He said that apart from facing invaders in the past it has also suffered due to black days of terrorism.

Jakhar said that unemployment is a big threat to the socio-economic structure of state as earlier due to it the militancy badly disturbed the state and now menace of drug is a big danger to young generation.

He said that the industrial growth of this state can create employment opportunities for youth.

"Therefore, to attract new entrepreneurs in the state, the central government must give special industrial zone status to state for the industrial growth," he added.

Jakhar said that the hard working farmers of Punjab have made the country self-reliant in the food grains, and for that they even depleted the natural resources like water and soil of their provinces.

In doing so, the farmers became debtors and it is now difficult for them to get out of debt without the help of government, he said.

Therefore, the state government has launched a debt waiver scheme for farmers from its limited financial resources, he said.

But because the farmers of the state had grown food grains for the entire nation, therefore the Government of India also has the responsibility to help the state government for the debt waiver, because if the farming sector of Punjab collapses, food crisis can be restored in the country, he said.

He said that six districts of Punjab are sharing their boundaries with Pakistan and thousands of hectare of agricultural land of farmers is on the other side of the fencing at the international border.

He said that farmers can not cultivate their fields due to restriction enabled on them due to security reasons and hence these farmers should be compensated by the union government.

Congress will raise all these issues during the Monsoon session of the Parliament, he added.