State to extend red carpet to foreign, domestic investors

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 29

The Punjab Government is all set to roll out a red carpet for foreign and domestic investors, as it gives final shape to its ambitious Progressive Punjab Summit, scheduled for December 5-6.

The state is not just inviting the potential investors, but is also following it up by making changes in the investment policy, making it more investor-friendly. All issues raked up by potential investors, during meetings held across the country and abroad, are now being accommodated in the policy.

Some regulatory changes, similar to what are offered by other states seeking investments in health and education sector, are on the anvil. “Since a major focus of the policy is on the state’s huge micro small medium enterprise (MSME) sector, we will be offering them simpler regulatory clearances for making investment in both green field and brown field projects,” Vini Mahajan, Additional Chief Secretary, Industry and Investment Promotion, told The Tribune.

Other than the MSME sector, the government is hopeful of getting investment in sectors like logistics, hospitality, medical tourism and education, from investors outside Punjab and from other countries, said the Additional Chief Secretary.

The state government is very keenly pursuing investors from United Arab Emirates, Germany, Taiwan and Japan, besides major airlines in India to start air operations from the state’s airports to facilitate those looking at investing here. Other than the investors from these countries, the ambassadors of the UAE, Israel, Uzbekistan and Taiwan, too, are expected to attend the summit.