Punjab backed out of textile park plan: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, January 12

Union Commerce and Textile Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said the Punjab Government applied for the Centre’s mega textile park scheme but later withdrew the application citing unavailability of land.

Answering questions during a press conference after the conclusion of the 13th India-US Trade Policy Forum in Washington DC, Goyal lauded the Sikh enterprise and urged the Punjab Government to become more proactive in seeking investment and competing for central incentives.

Cited lack of land

Punjab applied and then withdrew application saying it did not have the land. —Piyush Goyal, Union Minister

“The Centre has unveiled production-linked incentive schemes across sectors and does not discriminate between states. In fact, under the PM Mitra scheme, the Centre is building seven mega textile parks for which applications were invited. Punjab applied and then withdrew its application saying it did not have the land. So even if we want, we cannot consider Punjab under the scheme,” the minister said.

Goyal urged the state government and the state industry to be more proactive on the front of investments. “Today states have to make a compelling case to invite investments,” he said. The minister hailed the contribution of Sikhs to the US trucking industry. “We are proud that the Sikh community has made its mark worldwide by the dint of hard work,” he said.