Take care of existing industry: Cong

Sunday, 08/12/2013

http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=88529&boxid=58381&uid=&dat=2013-12-08

Chandigarh : The Congress on Saturday said before running after corporate honchos for investment, the state government must ameliorate the lot of our fast declining industry. The new Industrial Policy is nothing but a farce, self-contradictory and a tailor made document to suit the vested interests.

Expressing its displeasure over hosting the top industry giants of India and abroad at a two-day Investors Summit, being held in Mohali on December 9 and 10, the Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira urged the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to first take major initiatives and improve the existing small, medium and large scale industry of Punjab, before jumping the gun to suck up to honchos.

“After the SAD-BJP alliance assumed power in 2007, there has been a huge shutdown or migration of industry from the state. Figures indicate, that there were 1,91,639 small and medium scale units operative in 2005-06 in Punjab, whereas by 2011-12 the number came down to 1,70,500, which means 34,922 units had either shutdown or migrated to other states. Similarly, there were 525 medium and large scale units functional in 2005-06, but by 2011-12 more than 70 units had either closed or migrated. There has been a steep decline in the employment and labour in our industrial sector, which indicates its critical situation,” claimed Khaira, while presenting the information procured under the RTI Act at a press conference here.

The data procured under the RTI Act pertained to six important industrial centers of Mandi Gobindgarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Goraya, Mohali and Batala.

The Congress leader alleged, “The ground realities related to industrial growth in Punjab are in gross contradiction to what the SAD-BJP government claims on paper. According to Planning Commission of India figures, the industrial growth of Punjab has shrunk from 15.9 per cent in 2007-08 to 9.19 per cent in 2011-12 and so has the total growth of Punjab dropped from 9.05 per cent in 2007-08 to a dismal 5.19 per cent in 2012-13.”

Khaira urged the stated government to first offer a solution to the dilapidated small and medium industry of Punjab, before running after corporate honchos for investment in Punjab.

“We are of the firm opinion that it is law and order, appropriate infrastructure and a corruption-free regime that can ensure investment in Punjab,” he added.