Having borne the brunt of Partition and thereafter suffering under terrorism, Punjab has finally risen from the ashes like a Phoenix andhas been termed as the third most favoured state for investment according to the recent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report, claimed Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister Punjab in a media interaction after jointly inaugurating 'Trilium' mall with Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal DCM and Mr. Cyrus Mistry Chairman Tata Group, at Amritsar Mr. Badal said that Punjab would be on the top of the list by being the the most preferred investment destinations of the country in the
coming two years. He said that Punjab government in assuring matchless efforts to create investment friendly atmosphere. Adding further he said that various development projects worth Rs.1400 crore would be launched in the state in the coming four months. Besides, to strengthen the road connectivity in Punjab all the major cities and towns in the state would be made 4/6 lane expressways in the coming three years at a cost of Rs. 12000 crore. To ensure over all development in the rural areas of the state, Mr. Badal said that an amount of 10,000 Crore would be spent on various projects within next two years. The Chief Minister said that due to the step motherly treatment of Centre with the state, Punjab’s industry has got a major setback due to which massive flight of industry has taken place. Mr. Badal said
that the freebees given by the Union government to certain hill states have given fatal blow to the industry of the state. However he said notwithstanding the continued apathetic attitude of centre towards state’s industrial growth, the state is being accepted as one of the most preferred investment destinations of the country. Likewise, due to the stupendous efforts of the state government Punjab is today leading the country in the field of education, as per the report of the Government of India (GoI). Replying to a media query pertaining to the report of the Raghu Rajan Committee, Mr.Badal said that the findings of the report may be yet another “lollypop” for some but Punjab has no hopes from any of the Central Schemes and Policies because Congress led Centre Government has always been insensitive and apathetic to the needs of Punjab. In
response to yet another query he termed Mr. Manpreet Badal's statement on political murders in Punjab as a 'sheer baseless', 'no truth story'.
Replying to a volley of questions on need to reduce chopper usageand despensing with the post of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPSs) in Punjab, Mr. Badal said that this is a myopic thinking as any sound mind would well comprehend that use of faster means of communication brings efficiency in working; more work can be accomplished in lesser time. Similarly, he said that CPS is a training ground for elected representatives before they take on to the larger responsibilities. Talking on Tata's foray into Punjab with the launch of States finest Mall in Amritsar, Mr. Badal said that it is just the beginning and
there is lot more to come in near future. He said that Mr. Cyrus Mistry, Chairman Tata Group has had a series of meetings with CM and Dy. CM Punjab and has envinced keen interest into investment in Punjab. Likewise many other National and Multi National Companies are in touch with Punjab Government and a revolution in investment sector is on way. Earlier, CM and DCM along with Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Mr. Anil Joshi, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal (all Cabinet Ministers) and Mr. Cyrus Mistry, Chairman Tata Group Jointly inaugurated Trilium Mall in Amritsar. Tata Realty has invested Rs. 510 crore in the project which is expected to generate over 1000 jobs in Amritsar. Spread over 5.54 acres with 700, 000 sq ft. of shopping area, Amritsar is to experience the largest retail destination of Punjab.