|
|
|
|
|
Biz czars gung-ho on Punjab, pledge
Rs 55k cr Chandigarh, December 9 For a state trying to hard-sell itself as the most preferred investment destination, it has done well during its maiden investor summit. With Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, Arcelor Mittal chairman LN Mittal, ITC chairman YC Deveshwar, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Hero Motocorp vice-chairman Sunil Kant Munjal, Biocon chairman Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, and other corporate topshots lining up for the summit as well as committing investment worth thousands of crores, the Punjab Government could not have asked for more. While RIL announced an investment of Rs 2,500 crore in the state to set up a digital platform to provide 4G services, Bharti Airtel, too, will take its 4G services to all towns in Punjab by investing Rs 4,000 crore. Arcelor Mittal announced its decision to expand the Bathinda refinery (set up by HPCL and Mittal Energy Limited) by increasing its capacity by 25 per cent. ITC Limited will set up a world-class food park near Ludhiana at a cost of Rs 500 crore while Cargill India proposes to set up a cattle feed farm. The state will also see IT giant Infosys Technologies come up with a 20,000-seat facility at Mohali while Adlabs proposes to set up an amusement and theme park at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore. The two-day summit saw not just the political and bureaucratic leadership talk about Punjab as the next big investment destination, but also saw ‘Punjab ke Puttar’ -- top corporate leaders who called themselves Punjabi by birth and Punjabi by heart - share their experiences of doing business in the state. Industry captains gave a thumbs-up to the Akali-BJP government and the proactive stance taken by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to invite investors and make them commit to investing in the state. Sukhbir, the driving force behind the summit and who personally went to meet industry captains and invite them to invest in the state, reiterated the state’s commitment to think big and achieve big.“Ideas are more important than resources. Our mandate is to rebuild Punjab, which is possible only by getting the state on the fast track to industrial growth. We have already created the right infrastructure to attract and sustain industry. We have enhanced our power generation, built good road connectivity and airports and are now offering a single window clearance from the CEO of the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion. With the opening of the border with Pakistan, the industry will find this the most attractive destination as it will give access to countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran,” he said. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, while lauding Sukhbir for getting industry captains to invest in the state, asked him to follow up with the investors every few months and ensure that the MoUs do not remain on paper alone. “Please change the term memorandum of understanding to memorandum of consent or promise. This will ensure that all these people honour the commitment made to us and invest in the state,” he said, while asking the Deputy CM to be continuously in touch with the industrialists so as to be result-oriented. Look who’s here
* Airtel to pump in Rs 4,000 cr to take 4G services to all towns *
Fortis Healthcare to set up Rs 4,000-cr medical varsity *
RIL to invest Rs 2,500 cr to build digital infra for 4G services *
Hindujas to invest Rs 2,000 cr in real estate *
Adlabs to set up Rs 1,200-cr amusement and theme park *
ITC Limited to set up Rs 500 cr food park near Ludhiana *
Infosys Technologies to set up 20,000-seat facility at Mohali *
Arcelor Mittal to expand Bathinda refinery capacity by 25% "Please change the term memorandum of understanding to memorandum of consent or memorandum of promise. This will ensure all these people honour the commitment made to us and invest in the
state." Parkash Singh Badal,
Punjab CM "Our mandate is to rebuild Punjab, which is possible only by getting the state on the fast track to industrial growth. We have already created the right infrastructure to attract and sustain
industry." Sukhbir Singh
Badal, Punjab Deputy CM
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
The Progressive Punjab Investors Summit got off to a flying start on Monday with the participation of corporate czars from across sectors.
As many as 21 companies signed agreements with the Punjab Government entailing an investment of Rs 55,000 crore and creation of an estimated one lakh jobs.