With a view to developing state as a major Defence Production Hub, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal asked the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to submit a concept plan within a month for setting up a Defence Production Park in the state.A delegation of CII led by its President Mr. S Gopal Krishnam called on the Chief Minister at his official residence this morning. During the deliberations the Chief Minister evinced keen interest in developing the state as Defence Production Hub, as the Government of India (GoI) was repeatedly laying thrust on development of indigenous Defence industry for producing the WAR equipments in the country. He said that the state has an enormous potential for setting up the Defence Production Park for which the CII should assist the state by coming up with a detailed investment plan. Mr. Badal assured the delegation of fulsome support and co-operation in accomplishing this prestigious task.
Laying thrust on the setting up of Integrated Technical Training parks, the Chief Minister asked the delegation to send a high level team for reviewing the infra structure in Construction Skill & Training Centres being run in Abul Khurana (Sri Muktsar Sahib) and other parts of the state for imparting skill training to the youth. Mr. Badal said that the Skill Training Centres should be developed in such manner that they could help in providing gainful employment to the youth by providing training to them according to the needs of local industry. He said that the motive of these centres should be solely to impart training to the youth on non profitable basis.
The Chief Minister apprised the delegation that efforts were afoot in the state for bringing a Second Green Revolution through Crop persification for which major thrust was being laid on the cultivation of cash crops like Maize, Soya bean, Pulses, Oilseeds, Cotton, Sugarcane, fruits and vegetable. However he said that these steps would be futile if they were not supplemented by giving a much needed push to the Food Processing Industry in the state because farmers could not get the remunerative returns of their produce without its proper value addition. So Mr Badal asked the CII delegation to also explore the feasibility of setting up Agro based industry in the state for benefitting the farmers.
The Chief Minister also said that in order to impart quality education to the students of the border areas, which have so far lagged behind in the process of development, the industrial sector must come forward for setting up reputed educational institutions in these areas. He said that the border areas had a tremendous potential which needs to be tapped for the benefit of the country. Mr Badal bemoaned that the big industries were fulfilling their social responsibility of grooming the youth by setting up education institutions only in bigger cities whereas the need of the hour was to set up institutions in the border areas so as to open new vistas for the poor and meritorious students of the region.
Responding to the issues raised by the Chief Minister, Mr. S Gopal Krishnam assured the Chief Minister that the CII would take all possible steps to ensure industrial development of the state by roping in the big industrial houses adding that concept plan for developing state as Defence Production Hub would be submitted within the stipulated time period. He also assured the Chief Minister that they would make all out efforts for imparting quality technical training to the youth of the state by setting up Integrated Technical Training parks where reputed companies from the nation would train the youth besides ensuring their placements in the respective fields.
Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Special Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr KJS Cheema, Chairman CII Northern Region Mr Jayant Dawar, Deputy Chairman CII Northern Region Mr Zubin Irani and Chairman CII Punjab Mr DL Sharma.