Ludhiana industry hopes for a better year
Looking ahead: Ludhiana industry
The local industry did not witness any major reform in 2025. The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) believe that both the Centre and state government need to promote them as they are the backbone of the sector, including the corporate.
In 2025, Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora constituted about two dozen sectoral committees with members being asked to hold meetings and see the progress and look into the issues. The industrialists hope these committees bear fruitful results and do not exist just on paper.
They said progress should be seen by one and all.
Looking ahead at Halwara airport
The foremost demand by local industry is that operations start at Halwara airport as soon as possible. They believe that it has already missed several deadlines and the government should stick to the latest one set for March 2026.
A section of industrialists expressed optimism that since the Assembly elections are due in 2027, the authorities concerned will work overtime to make the airport operational.
In 2025, there was unrest among the migrant labourers employed in Punjab due to repeated attacks on them and the law-and-order situation in general. As the new year sets in, the industrialists hope that the state government will take corrective measures to bring back the labourers. The factories in Ludhiana depend on skilled and unskilled workforce mostly sourced from outside the state, primarily Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
OTS scheme
Around 50,000 units in Ludhiana are operating on land allocated for mixed-land use and the deadline for this to change is in September 2026.
The industrialists wish a one-time settlement offer is granted, giving them permission to carry on where they are located. The industrialists point out that it is not viable to relocated 50,000 units.
GST refunds
The industry hopes that the blocked Good and Services Tax (GST) refunds, from both the state government and the Centre, are released at the earliest. The industry wants the dues to be released so that local industrialists do not face a shortage of working capital.
