Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has proposed a strategic tie-up between PDH Chamber of Commerce and the Indo Canadian Business Chamber to boost trade between the two countries.The proposal came during talks with Canadian Consulate General Christopher Gibbins, who called on him here on Tuesday evening, according to an official spokesperson.Gibbins told the Chief Minister that Canada was keen to forge strategic business alliances with Punjab in the sectors of Dairy, Animal Sciences, IT, Agriculture and Food Processing, citing Punjab’s proven track record and expertise in these fields. Canada, he said, was keen to exploit the potential of Punjab in these fields.The Chief Minister, on his part, suggested collaboration between the two Chambers to facilitate visits by Canadian delegations to Punjab to explore investments in the industrial sector. Pointing to the excellent air connectivity from Punjab’s two international airports, at Amritsar and Mohali, in addition to a robust network of domestic air terminals from various cities, the Chief Minister said the infrastructure of Punjab was designed to propel industrialisation. With many international carriers showing interesting in starting direct flights from Chandigarh to Canada, United States, South East Asian Countries etc, the connectivity would get a further boost, enabling promotion of trade and commerce, he added.
Captain Amarinder apprised the Consulate General about the investor and industry friendly initiatives taken by his government to encourage entrepreneurship and industry. He gave the examples of Single Window, lucrative incentives, cheap power, affordable and peaceful labour besides congenial industrial climate as some of the major factors aimed at promoting Punjab as the most favoured investment destination The Chief Minister invited the Canadian industry to participate, in a big way, in the proposed investors’ meet planned to be held soon under the aegis of Invest Punjab. The Canadian Consulate General inquired from Captain Amarinder about his next military history book, to which the Chief Minister responded that he was planning to write a book on the history of Punjab spanning the past 25 years.Media Advisor to CM Raveen Thukral, Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Development Viswajeet Khanna, Additional Chief Secretary Housing and Urban Development Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Tejveer Singh, Special Principal Secretary to CM Gurkirat Kirpal Singh and CEO Invest Punjab Rajat Aggarwal were among those present at the meeting.