Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Reliance Industries limited (RIl) chairman Mukesh Ambani have agreed to strengthen cooperation across various sectors, including telecom and data networks, as well as retail, besides boosting agricultural productivity, food processing industry and manufacturing facilities in the state.
Capt Amarinder met Ambani soon after his arrival in Mumbai, where he is scheduled to address CII’s ‘Invest North’ meeting on Wednesday.
The two had a one-to-one meeting, followed by delegation level talks, during which RIl made a detailed presentation on Jio telecom service, which it is seeking to expand in Punjab.
The meeting focused on augmenting RIl’s interests in Punjab, under the leadership of Capt Amarinder, who is keen to embark on sweeping transformational reforms to revive the state’s industry and economy, said an official spokesperson.
The Chief Minister told Ambani that his support would go a long way in providing the early impetus needed for this change.
Agreeing with the Chief Minister that data was the future of mankind, Ambani suggested setting up a dedicated team in Chandigarh to realize Capt Amarinder’s vision of deploying technology to generate employment.
Capt Amarinder identified upgradation of telecom infrastructure, in terms of both connectivity and broadband, as a key area in which Punjab was exploring opportunities. His government would be happy to provide the requisite infrastructure for setting up towers and strengthening the telecom sector, said the Chief Minister.
Capt Amarinder also expressed the hope that with its vast experience, RIl would be able to support the state in building a bouquet of offerings that can be built around the availability of high-speed data, as the state-of-the-art digital connectivity would open many vistas for providing value added services to Punjab.
On retail services, Ambani said that his company was keen to expand its Hoshiarpur plant, which currently employs 2000 people. The Chief Minister said that expansion and modernisation of facilities would be provided incentives under the state’s new industrial policy, which was not the case earlier.
Ambani lauded the Chief Minister’s vision to embrace technology for the development of Punjab and showed interest in investing healthcare, agriculture and sports.
Ambani sought cooperation from the state government in knowledge exchange for the integration of technology to benefit people and generate employment through projects that could be implemented in a short span of time.
Punjab also sees immense potential in food processing sector, where the state offers both, the comfort of a high-quality supply and local and neighbourhood consumption or even exports, Capt Amarinder added.