Aiming to bring mega investments to Punjab, the State is all set for the first Progressive Punjab Investors Summit to be held at ISB campus, Mohali on Dec 9 and10.
The two-day event is expected to bring together thought leaders, policy makers, academician, investors, industrialists, entrepreneurs and professionals on a common platform for the development of the State. “Instead of waiting for investors to come here, we are reaching out to them with Progressive Punjab campaign to showcase opportunities available in the State”, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said, while addressing a Press conference here.
Accompanied by Industry Minister Madan Mohan Mittal and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, Badal said that during domestic and international investor meets held at Bangalore, Taiwan and Mumbai earlier, top IT, infrastructure, food processing, biosciences and healthcare companies have expressed their keen interest to invest in Punjab.
Giving details, he said the two-day summit would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on December 9 where a large exhibition would showcase leading Punjab manufacturers and enterprises. Special sessions on bioscience and health services, infrastructure, real estate and renewable energy, business opportunities with other countries would be the highlights of the summit.
The valedictory session on December 10 would kick off a year-long progressive Punjab investment campaign 2014-’15, which is expected to see a surge in investment in focus sectors of the State’s economy. The Deputy CM said 30 international companies from Italy, Taiwan, France, Germany and USA and 400 industrialists from all over the country are expected to take part in the investor meet.
Those who have given their consent to take part in the investors meet include Mukesh Ambani, Chairman & MD, Reliance Industries, lN Mittal, Chairman and CEO Arcelor-Mittal, AM Naik, Executive Chairman, l&T, YC Deveshwar, Chairman ITC, Malvinder Singh, Executive Chairman, Fortis Healthcare ltd, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairman & MD, Biocon ltd, SP Oswal, Chairman and Managing Director, Vardhman Group, Sunil Kant Munjal, Joint MD, Hero MotoCorp, GVK Reddy, Chairman and MD, GVK, Ravi Kant, Vice Chairman, Tata Motors, Ira Gumberg, President and CEO, Gumberg India Pvt ltd, Arun Sawhney, CEO and MD, Ranbaxy and Manmohan Shetty, Promoter, Adlabs.
Badal said that housing, infrastructure and renewable energy, biosciences and healthcare, information technology, agro and food processing, textiles and skill development areas were on the priority list of Punjab Government.
“We have established world-class infrastructure, power surplus, best air connectivity, which were utmost needs for big ticket projects, so the time has come to show the investment opportunities to the investors,” the Deputy CM said. He said that national and international agencies like World Bank, CRISIl, Union Government and RBI has put their stamp on the development of Punjab. International rating agency CRISIl has declared Punjab as most prosperous State in India after ludhiana was identified as best place for doing business in India by World Bank. Besides, RBI has also announced Punjab as the third most attractive destination for new investments in India in 2012-’13.
Talking about the MOUs to be signed during the meet, Badal said Punjab Government has received large number of proposals from various companies, especially in IT sector and medical tourism. He said Amritsar and Mohali are all set to emerge as IT hubs, which would provide more than 1 lakh jobs to Punjabis in the next three years.