By Punjabnewswire4u
CHANDIGARH, APRIL
26
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
diversification 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.
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