Govt facilitating ease of doing business in state: Minister

The Punjab International Trade Expo (PITEX) was formally inaugurated by Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism today. He said that to strengthen the industries in Punjab, the One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme (OTS) has been amended and implemented within a week so that the path of industries and industrialists in Punjab can be made easier.

Sond said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has been interacting with renowned industrialists and investors abroad to increase the growth in state. As a result, the demand for skilled youth will increase in future.

According to Sond, Punjab’s industrial policy is being simplified by making several amendments. In future, industrialists will also see many changes in the industrial policy.

The minister said that Punjab is the leading state of the country in providing “Ease of doing business”. “The MSMEs in the state are helping the Punjab government in providing employment opportunities. Punjab ranked among the top three states of India in surveys conducted in terms of infrastructure development,” he said.

During the programme, Hemant Jain, president, PHDCCI, said that for the last 119 years, PHDCCI has been participating in the country’s progress by cooperating in the industrial revolution. Jain put forward the demand that Punjab government should promote food processing industries in the state, which help solve the problem of unemployment and also that of farmers. The food processing industry is the future of India. “This will be a key solution to many problems. The younger generation has huge interest in food processing industry. The farmers need these types of industry. Through these industries, farmers will be able to get better prices for their crops. This will also help solve the problem of unemployment,” said Jain.

Karn Gilhotra, Chair, Punjab state chapter, PHDCCI, said that PITEX is continuously expanding. Last year, around 500 stalls were set up here. This time, more than 600 businessmen have come with their products, he said.