Punjab Govt announces new trade commission to simplify business operations

The Bhagwant Mann government has announced the formation of Punjab Trade Commission to strengthen the state’s trader community and simplify business operations.

Sources said the move was aimed at appeasing small traders in the run-up to the Assembly elections as they had been complaining about alleged bureaucratic hurdles in running business and the government’s indifference towards their issues.

Finance, Excise & Taxation and Planning Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, who was in the city to interact with traders, said the government was committed to making governance more accessible and responsive to those who had been driving the state’s economy. “The key objective of the commission is to ensure that traders no longer have to run from pillar to post for routine approvals, departmental clearances and day-to-day business-related works. The Punjab Trade Commission will act as a dedicated platform to save time, effort and money of the trading community. It will provide a faster and smoother resolution mechanism for their issues,” said Cheema.

As part of the groundwork for the initiative, review meetings were held in Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Moga, Malerkotla, Ropar, Sangrur, Barnala and Bathinda.

During these meetings, government representatives and the local administration discussed the operational roadmap and district-level coordination with shopkeepers and traders.

Cheema said, “Traders and small businesses are the backbone of the state’s economy. Our government is fully committed to building a Punjab where honest business people can focus on expanding their work instead of getting stuck in paperwork, delays and unnecessary harassment.”

AAP defends making top officials attend Moga event

Meanwhile, state AAP chief spokesperson and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal defended the government’s move to make police and civil administrative heads address a rally at Moga, stating that it was not a rally of the party but of Village Defence Committee (VDC) members. “It was a VDC gathering, which is why the Chief Secretary and the DGP addressed it,” he said, while addressing mediapersons in Amritsar on Tuesday.

The rally paved way for a three-front battle against drugs with VDCs, Punjab Police and administrative officers coming together to fight it out.