Commonwealth Business Council keen to invest in Punjab

Chandigarh, Feb 14 (UNI) Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today assured the members of the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) of fulsome support and cooperation in the field of core infrastructure, social infrastructure and micro-financing to infuse dynamism in the stagnated economy of Punjab.

This assurance was given by Mr Badal at a meeting with the members of the CBC here this morning.

He directed the Chief Secretary to coordinate the entire procedural clearances and approvals for the projects and schemes in a time bound frame work.

He also designated Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce, A R Talwar, Managing Director Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Registrar Cooperatives, Viswajit Khanna for dealing with the projects relating to industrial manufacturing units, infrastructure and micro-financing respectively.

The CBC represents a consortium of heads of the Commonwealth countries on business with an objective to firm up investments into the infrastructure and power sectors, social infrastructure and micro-financing. The CBC team visited Punjab at the special invitation of Member Parliament, Naresh Gujral who was also present in the meeting to study the prospects of investments in the state.

Briefly outlining his vision for the overall development and progress in the state, Mr Badal informed the members of CBC that his government had firmed up policy contours for the super mega projects which would further catalyze major capital investment in the medi-city, knowledge-city, IT, real estate and industrial manufacturing sectors. The Chief Minister also expressed his keen desire to expedite the micro-financing activities in the state.

He hoped that micro-financing would considerably result in the "enrichment of the cooperative movement". He also pointed out that Punjab had an excellent network of cooperatives like Markfed and Milkfed that had not only mobilized the farmers to undertake allied farming but also supplemented their incomes tremendously.

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