Punjab is believed to be an agraraian economy, but has been leading in terms of industrial development ever since India gain independence. \"In recent past, the industrial growth in Punjab has slowed down, but the state has a huge potential to emerge as an industrial hub of India,\" says Kamna Raj Aggarwala, Chairperson, CII Punjab, while speaking to Daily Post.
The state has been a pioneer in small scale industries in the region and industries need to reach the next level now. She said \"some big investements are required for achieving this objective.\" To attract the investors to the state, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)and the state government are working together. To attract more investments in Punjab, CII Punjab is planning to organise a \'Destination Punjab\' event in Amritsar later this year. Here are excerpts from the interview:
Predominantly an agrarian economy, Punjab has not been able to develop as a industrial destination.
In last few years even I have realised this thing that outside Punjab and even outside India, the state is still seen as the prospective destination to invest in agriculture and real-estate. Besides these two sectors, other sectors have not seen much investment as compared to the neighbouring states, in the last few years.
But things are changing now and with the establishment of HMEL (HPCL-Mittal Energy Limited), the scenario is bound to change. We at CII have also taken a very serious note of this matter and I think Punjab needs to be promoted as a profitable destination from investment point of view.
Do you think textiles, sports goods, small tools, and other industries are restricted only to Punjab?
I do not think so. If you are asking in terms of manufacturing, then maybe to a large extent some of these industries are restricted to Punjab.But now many units of these sectors have been set up in other states and most of these industries are facing tough times. The market for these industries goes beyond Punjab and major growth comes through the export of products. Let us take the hosiery industry of Ludhiana as an example. Punjab is pioneer in the export of hosiery from India and is also one of the biggest hosiery suppliers.
What is the scenario of agro based industries in Punjab?
Broadly speaking, tea and cotton are the two major agro based industries in Punjab. Besides these, rice processing mills are there in almost in every district of the state These are also doing well. Even the sugar industry can be counted in the category of agro based industries. I would proudly like to mention here that most of big corporate houses and multinational companies are eyeing the state for growth in the food processing sector. Hopefully in the coming years, Punjab will register its mark in agro based industries at the national level.
How do you see Punjab from industrial and business point of view at present?
The most visible change is the emergence of IT and service sector. These sectors have developed at a very fast pace in the last few years. Big players like Dell and Infosys have already set up their units in Punjab. As per an estimate, Punjab is the second biggest market for mobile connections, after Delhi in north India. In real estate sector also Punjab is one of the hottest markets in India and has attracted huge foreign direct investment for the state in the last few years.
Tell us something about your journey as a businesswoman?
Having a good academic record has helped me a lot in day to day business activities. Moreover, I am fortunate enough that I have got full cooperation from my family. I think it is very important for a businesswoman to be always one step ahead than her male counterparts .This is applicable universally.
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JATIN TAKKAR ( Courtesy Dailypost, Chandigarh, 23 Sep., 2011),
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