The 25th Punjabi Parvasi Divas was today held here at Hotel Taj courtesy the joint efforts of the Punjab Government and International Chamber for Service Industry (ICSI). The Finance Minister, Punjab, Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal inaugurated the summit which was followed by the panel discussions centered on Providing skill education to youth of Punjab to bring them in sync with the ever changing employment scenario, Efforts of the tourism and the NRI wing to attract NRI community towards Punjab and Providing investment friendly facilities.The Punjab Technical Education & Employment Generation Minister Mr. Charanjit Singh Channi called upon all NRI’s to adopt at least 10 Youths from their villages to develop their skills to make them employable as per needs of the Global Industry. Presiding over a session on empowering Punjab Youth Skills & Higher Education for Employment, Entrepreneurship in India & Abroad Mr. Channi said that all NRI’s have a strong bonding with their roots and by skilling Youth of Punjab they can play a very important role in making Punjab as Skill Capital of the country. The Minister said that the Punjab Government is in a process designing the new curriculum. as per the needs of the industry keeping present and future scenario in sharp focus.He said that to bridge the Skill gap between the present skill education and the demands of industrial sector the Punjab Government is setting up World class Skill Development University at Sri Chamkaur Sahib. Mr. Channi called the NRI’s to come forward for setting up Skill Development Centres in the state.
Speaking the occasion, Mr. N.S. Kalsi, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Punjab said that there is lot of scarcity of Skilled Labour at International level and India is the best suitable country to cater this need. He also stressed upon the urgent steps to bridge the Skill gap as per needs of the International Standards.The Principal Secretary, NRI Affairs, Punjab, Mr. S.R. Ladhar appealed the NRIs to participate in the year long celebrations organized by Punjab Government on 550th Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in this year. Describing the “Connect to Your Roots’ (CYR) scheme launched by State Government for youth settled abroad, Mr. Ladhar said that the youth settled abroad have been provided with a golden opportunity to visit the land of their ancestors. This unique initiative would go a long way in cementing their age old bonds with soil of their grandparents besides keeping them abreast with the rich culture, traditions and values.The Advisor, Invest Punjab, Major B.S. Kohli highlighted the investor friendly initiatives taken by Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. He said that Punjab is the first state in the country for involving the stake holders directly in its New Industrial Policy. To create investment friendly climate in the state, the state government strictly maintained the law and order situation and even crackdown on gangsters and others elements who were posing threat to our society. He assured the NRIs that the state government would provide fulsome support and assistance for investment in their motherland.
In his address on the occasion, ADGP, NRI Affairs & Women Affairs, Community Policing, Punjab, Mr. Ishwar Singh listed various path breaking initiatives undertaken by the Punjab Police for the welfare of the NRI diaspora. He said that the Punjab Police deals with the issues concerning NRIs on the priority basis. He also added that the website of the NRI wing is www.nripunjabpolice.com and e-mail is [email protected] to get in touch with the Punjab Police and Helpline 181 with regard to their various complaints pertaining to property disputes and other problems. He listed various measures such as Saanjh, ‘Know Your Police App’, ‘Shakti App’ (For safety of women).The Joint Secretary cum Joint Director, Punjab Tourism, Mr. Lakhmir Singh in his address elaborated regarding Smart Infrastructure, Good Connectivity and Peaceful environs which have led to the tremendous increase in the tourist footfall. He also said that nearly, 1.25 lakh tourists visit Sri Darbar Sahib daily while the Virasat-e-Khalsa museum has been awarded top ranking by the Limca Book of Records.On the occasion, Alka Kapoor, Senior Manager Projects at Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board gave a presentation showcasing very effectively the achievements and the flagship projects of the Tourism Department, Punjab.Prominent amongst others present on the occasion included Mr. D.K. Tiwari Principal Secretary Technical Education and Industrial Training and Additional Director Punjab Skill Development Mission, Punjab, Mr. B. Srinivasan Additional Secretary Health and Family Welfare, Mr. Basant Garg Director Land Records, Joint Chief Executive Invest Punjab Avneet Kaur, Additional Managing Director Markfed Mr. Bal Mukand Sharma, and General Manager (QA&E) Verka Milkfed Sanjiv Sharma, Rajeev Arora General Manager State Bank of India, Rana Ashutosh Kumar Singh Chief General Manager State Bank of India, Mr. Vishal Batra Joint General Manager ICICI Bank, Mr. Harsh Wardhan CEO Europa Securities, Mr. Suneel Dutt CEO Mohali International Airport, and Dr. Ajayita President CWMTS, Patanjali, Prominent philanthropist and NRI Mr. S.P. Singh Oberoi and other members of the NRI diaspora.