CM pitches Punjab as key investment hub for UK
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday pushed for stronger and broader engagement with the United Kingdom, especially in unexplored business domains, while chairing the Punjab UK Engagement Strategic Dialogue here.
During a meeting with British Deputy High Commissioner Alba Smeriglio and representatives of various UK-linked and multinational companies, the Chief Minister said Punjab is keen to deepen ties with the UK in both traditional and emerging sectors. He said the state has identified five core pillars of collaboration higher education, textiles, engineering, auto components and agro & food processing along with new focus areas including pharmaceuticals and healthcare, information technology, Global Capability Centres (GCCs) and business services.
Mann shared a detailed dossier showcasing Punjab’s strengths, highlighting that the state enjoys world-class physical connectivity with five airports and robust national highway links, giving seamless access to domestic and international markets. The Chief Minister said that Punjab has a highly skilled workforce, which is crucial for the growth of every sector and added that the state offers competitive and peaceful labour, making it an attractive destination for investment.
CM Mann underlined that Punjab has a unified investment facilitation mechanism adding that Invest Punjab, acts as a single regulator and provides all requisite clearances within a stipulated time frame under a deemed approval regime, thereby giving confidence and certainty to investors.
He also drew attention to the state’s fast-track portal and single-window initiative aimed at simplifying procedures, reducing compliance burden and further improving Ease of Doing Business in Punjab.
Meanwhile, CM Mann on Tuesday gave detailed information about the arrangements being made by the state government for lakhs of devotees arriving from around the world to pay homage to the supreme sacrifice of the younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri Ji at Fatehgarh Sahib on the occasion of Shaheedi Sabha.
