Post on 26-Oct-2021
transcript
Contents
I. Overview ......................................................................................................... 3
II. Tagline and Logo .............................................................................................. 4
III. Industry participation ....................................................................................... 4
IV. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) ............................................................. 6
Session proceedings ................................................................................................. 7
V. Inaugural Session Proceedings .......................................................................... 7
VI. Housing, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy sector in Punjab-
Propelling Sustainable Infrastructure ...................................................................... 13
VII. Biosciences & Healthcare sector in Punjab: Revolutionizing Punjab’s
Healthcare & Biosciences Industry .......................................................................... 19
VIII. Information Technology sector in Punjab: The emerging destination for
IT/ITeS and Electronics Sector ................................................................................ 23
IX. Agro and Food Processing sector in Punjab: Beyond the Green Revolution ...... 28
X. Light Engineering and MSME sector in Punjab: Towards Engineering
Excellence .............................................................................................................. 32
XI. Focus Taiwan-Business opportunities with Taiwan .......................................... 36
XII. Textiles sector in Punjab: From Fibre 2 Fashion ........................................... 42
XIII. Skills sector in Punjab: Skilling for Inclusive Growth ..................................... 44
XIV. Valedictory Session Proceedings ................................................................. 50
XV. Learning Points ........................................................................................... 56
I. Overview
The Progressive Punjab Investors Summit held in December 2013 at Mohali, was an event that
has marked the beginning of accelerated industrial progress in Punjab. The first version of this
landmark event showcased the State’s strengths, progressive stand, governance initiatives and
investor-friendly climate, besides its vibrancy.
The focus areas identified for this summit were a good mix of established and sunshine sectors
as well as areas to support growth in these sectors. These focus areas included Agro and Food
Processing, Textiles, Light Engineering, IT, Hardware and Electronics, Biosciences and
Healthcare, Skills and Infrastructure. These major areas were highlighted through 8 panel
discussions at the Summit besides the presence of key dignitaries from these fields.
As a run up to the Progressive Punjab Summit 2013, the Government of Punjab held a series of
investor meets in key cities in India such as Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai and an
international meet at Taiwan. These investor meets reached out to larger audience as well as
one-to-one meetings with key industry groups.
The Progressive Punjab 2013 Summit was a landmark event both in coverage and scale. A total
of 989 delegates attended the Summit. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth INR 65,000
crores were signed during the Summit. Key industry leaders graced the occasion including Mr.
Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries), Mr. LN Mittal (Arcelor Mittal), Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal
(Hero Group), Mr. YC Deveshwar (ITC), Mr. Onkar Kanwar (Apollo Tyres), Dr. Kiran
Mazumdar Shaw (Biocon), Mr. Malvinder Singh (Fortis), Mr. GVK Reddy (GVK), Mr. Ira
Gumberg (JJ Gumberg), Mr. SP Oswal (Vardhman), Mr. Arun Sawhney (Ranbaxy), Mr. Rajiv
Singh (DLF), Mr. John H. Lin (CTCI Taiwan, Mr. Ness Wadia (Wadia Group), Mr. Rajinder
Gupta (Trident), Mr. Kamal Oswal (Nahar International), Mr. Vineet Nayyar (Tech Mahindra),
Mr. Kurush Grant (ITC) and Dr. Ajit Rangnekar (ISB). During the Summit, key industry leaders
discussed issues as well as progressive recommendations to enhance productivity, progress and
growth in the focus areas.
The event was held at Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali campus on 9th and 10th of
December, 2013. Multiple visits to the campus were held by government officials, CII and
KPMG team members to ascertain the logistics and the layout of the campus. ISB provided IT
support and dedicated manpower for providing information about the venue logistics. All the
sessions and the exhibition took place inside the campus.
II. Tagline and Logo
APCO Worldwide partnered with the Government of Punjab to position Punjab as an investment-friendly
state and to attract investments into the state from domestic and multinational corporates. To achieve this
goal, APCO created a three-pronged branding and communication strategy encompassing advertising
campaigns to showcase Punjab’s offerings for potential investors, focussed public relations campaign to
showcase government’s commitment towards making Punjab an ideal investment destination and
promoting Progressive Punjab Investor’s Summit at relevant platforms. APCO created the brand
‘Progressive Punjab - Opportunities Unlimited’ and created all the branding (logo, event invites,
presentation templates, Punjab information collateral, event passes, branding at event venue, etc.) and
communication collaterals (advertisements, advertorials, hoardings) for the same.
III. Industry participation
The 2-day event kicked off with an inaugural session which was was graced by industry stalwarts
comprising of Mukesh Ambani, LN Mittal, YC Deveshwar, Kiran Mazumdar, Malvinder Singh, Sunil
Munjal, GVK Reddy, Arun Sawnhey, Omkar Kanwar, Sunil Mittal, Rajiv Singh, S.P. Oswal, John Linn
& Ira Gumberg.
The panel sessions were widely attended by industry players, experts and stakeholders from the respective
sectors. The session-wise participation consisted of the following:
Sector Delegates Sector Delegates
Infrastructure 163 Light Engineering 107
Agro & Food Processing 156 Taiwan 94
Skills 136 Biosciences 92
Textiles 108 IT 70
HEALH & BIOSCIENCES
1. Kiran Mazumdar -Biocon
2. Ashish Bhatia - Fortis
3. K.G Ananthakrishnan-
Merck
4. Rajiv Gulati- Ranbaxy
5. Ajay Bakshi – Max
AGRI & FOOD PROCESSING 1. Sachid Madan- ITC
2. Siraj Chaudhry - Cargill
3. Venkatesh Kini -Coca Cola
4. B.S.Dhillon - PIU
5. Rajiv Wakhle – Pepsi
INFRA 1. Arvind Mahajan - KPMG
2. Pradeep Singh -ISB
3. Mohit Gujral -DLF
4. SK Roongta -Vedanta
5. Ravi Khanna -Aditya Birla
6. Krishna Ram Bhupal –
GVK
IT/ITeS 1. Biren Ghose -Technicolor
2. Pankaj Mohindroo -ICA
3. Sanjeev Gupta –
Accenture
4. Sanjeev Keskar -IESA
5. Omkar Rai –STPI
6. Vishal Dhar –iYogi
TAIWAN 1. John. H. Lin - CTCI
2. Susan Wang - AFTA
3. Hur-Lon Lin - Green
Energy
4. Mark Lee - TEEMA
5. Kamal Oswal – Nahar
SKILLS 1. Mohandas Pai -Manipal
2. JP Rai -NSDA
3. Atul Bhatnagar -NSDC
4. Arun Kumar Pillai -IL&FS
5. HN Shrinivas -Taj Hotels
6. Subash Bijlani –Maryland
TEXTILES 1. Rajinder Gupta -Trident
2. Ness Wadia –Wadia
Group
3. D L Sharma,-Vardhman
4. Kamal Oswal -Nahar
5. Amar Choudhry -Arvind
6. SS Arora -Rainbow Denim
LIGHT ENGINEERING 1. Y. Saboo -KDDL
2. U.S Ahuja -New Swan
3. Group
4. Mahesh Munjal-Majestic
5. D. Swaminathan -Manipal
.
The summit was concluded by a valedictory session with eminent leaders on the dais comprising Ness
Wadia, Kurush Grant, Vineet Nayyar, Ajit Rangnekar, Rajinder Gupta and Kamal Oswal.
Some of the other key delegates that attended the Summit included Anirudh Dhoot (Videocon), Ramdas
Kamath (Infosys), Rakesh Bamzai (Biocon), Raman Gopal (Hinduja), G.S. Boparai (Fiat), Raman Gopal
& AK Das (Hinduja), Manmohan Shetty (Adlabs), Sanjiv Puri (ITC), I.S.Paul (Drish Shoes), Sachit Jain
and Suchita Jain (Vardhman), Chander Gidwani (Centrum), Y Watanabe & E Seko (SML Isuzu), SK
Mathur (Max India), Dr Jyotsna Suri (Lalit Hotels), Ajay Bector (Cremica), Ashok Oswal (Vardhman
Polytex), Daman Oswal (Nahar), U. Ramachandran (Amity) and Ramesh Suri (Subros).
The Hon’ble Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Secretary had one- on-one meetings with
key CXO’s and promoters to discuss prospects and issues. Some of these were: YC Deveshwar, Kurush
Grant and Sanjiv Puri (ITC) Mohandas Pai and Swaminathan (Manipal Group), Venkatesh Kini (Coca
Cola), Vineet Nayyar (Tech Mahindra), H.E. Daniele Mancini (Ambassador of Italy to India), KG
Ananthakrishnan (MSD India), Prab Das (HMEL), Siraj Choudhary (Cargill), Pavan Khaitan (Kuantum
Papers), Manmohan Shetty (Adlabs), Ramdas Kamath (Infosys), Jaspal Deol (Allianz LLC), Y. Watanabe
and E. Seto (SML-ISUZU), Ajay Shirodkar (Kirloskar Brothers), Ashutosh Jain (Venus Remedies), Ravi
Khanna (Aditya Birla Solar), Udit Seth (Transtadia), SS Arora (Rainbow Denim) and the Taiwan
Delegation.
Email invites for the event were sent to all the 7,046 invitees. Physical invites were also sent to all the
invitees in the Platinum, Embassy, Taiwan, and Gold categories.
Panelists and members on the Dais were provided with hotel accommodations and re-imbursement for
their travel costs. The participants were also provided with the opportunity to interact one to one with
senior ministers and officials of the state government on request basis.
Category No. of Invitations Sent Facilities
Embassies 30 Pass for all the sessions
Parking Facilities
Liaison officer
Hosted as State guests by Government of
Punjab
Exclusive Resting Area
Delegates from Taiwan 31 Pass for all the sessions
Parking Facilities
Liaison officer
Hosted as State guests by Government of
Punjab
Exclusive Resting Area
Platinum 289 Liaison officer to provide on-site assistance
to the delegate
Pass for all the sessions
Parking Facilities
Exclusive resting area
Gold 639 Pass for all the sessions
Parking Facilities
Exclusive resting area
Associations 6 Pass for all the sessions other than
Inaugural & Valedictory Session
Blue 6050 Pass for all the sessions (other than
Inaugural & Valedictory Session)
Total Invitations Sent 7045
The knowledge collateral, presentations, and city profiles (including key project profiles) were prepared
by KPMG. The content for the same was obtained from the concerned government departments. The
knowledge collateral included an overview on Punjab as an ideal investment destination, along with
sector briefs including opportunities for investments, incentives, sub sectors etc. for the following sectors
in the state: Agro & Food Processing, Light Engineering, Information Technology, Textiles, Skills,
Infrastructure & Biosciences and Healthcare. The city profiles included detailed descriptions of key
industrial cities in Punjab (Ludhiana, Mohali, and Amritsar) along with project profiles for key
opportunities in these cities. Presentations were prepared for the different sessions based on the content
sought from primary and secondary sources.
The following activities were precursors to the summit:
Preparation of knowledge content
Preparation of agenda
Preparation of session presentations
Finalization of Dias and Panel Invitees
Preparation of speeches for government officials
Preparation of venue
Identification of sectors & corporates for the meetings
Coordinating with liaison officers
Setting up of one to one meetings
Sending confirmation emails with details of the summit
Preparation of delegate profiles
Selection of topics for discussion in the sessions
IV. Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
A total of 128 MoUs were signed during the Summit. The sector-wise breakdown is below:
Sector Number of MoUs Amount (In INR cr.)
Infrastructure 11 9,005
Manufacturing/ IT 19 11,107
Agro /Food Processing 61 4,147
Biosciences and Healthcare 7 3,670
Entertainment 2 2,250
Skills 3 1,068
Real Estate 24 34,347
Others 1 2,000
Total 128 66,936
Session proceedings
V. Inaugural Session Proceedings
1. Introduction by Dr. Iqbal Judge, Associate Professor, Government College for Girls, Punjab
University
Dr. Iqbal Judge welcomed all the delegates to the Progressive Punjab Investors Summit 2013. The focus
sectors of the summit are housing, infrastructure & renewable energy, agro and food processing,
biosciences and healthcare, textiles, light engineering and MSME, IT, and skills. Punjab provides
advantages like cost arbitrage, large domestic markets, robust ecosystem, talented labour, abundant power
supply, good road, rail and air connectivity and massive government support. The new package of
incentives gives fiscal incentives to the investors. A bureau for investment promotion has been set up to
provide speedy and efficient services. It is a one stop shop for all concerns and needs of the investors.
Dr. Iqbal Judge informed the delegates about the sessions and the exhibition.
2. Dais Members
Name Designation Organisation
1 Shri. Parkash Singh Badal Hon’ble Chief Minister Government of Punjab
2 Shri. Sukhbir Singh Badal Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Government of Punjab
3 Shri. Madan Mohan Mittal Hon’ble Industries and Commerce Minister Government of Punjab
4 Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal Chairman Hero Group
5 Mr. Y C Deveshwar Chairman ITC
6 Mr. Ira J Gumberg President and CEO JJ Gumberg Co.
7 Mr. S P Oswal Chairman and MD Vardhman Textiles
8 Mr. Arun Sawhney CEO and MD Ranbaxy Laboratories
9 Mr. Mukesh Ambani Chairman and MD Reliance Industries
10 Mr. L N Mittal Chairman and CEO Arcelor Mittal
11 Mr. Onkar Kanwar Chairman and MD Apollo Tyres
12 Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Chairman and MD Biocon
13 Mr. Rajiv Singh Vice Chairman DLF Universal
14 Mr. John H Lin Vice Chairman CTCI Corp.
15 Mr. Malvinder Singh Executive Chairman Fortis Healthcare
16 Mr. GVK Reddy Chairman GVK Group
3. Opening Speech by Chief Secretary, Mr. Rakesh Singh
The Chief Secretary of Punjab, Mr. Rakesh Singh, initiated the session and welcomed the Hon’ble Chief
Minister, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Hon’ble Minister for Industries and Commerce, Cabinet
Ministers, Captains of Industries, Leaders of small and medium industries and media to the first
Progressive Punjab Investors Summit in Mohali.
Mr. Singh projected the Summit as an active space for sharing knowledge and bringing the business
community together. Mr. Singh reiterated the commitment from Government of Punjab to transform
challenges to opportunities. He spoke about the pro-active steps being taken by the Government such as
setting up institutions, providing facilities to improve cross border trade; reformulation of laws with a
thrust to augment agriculture based processing industries.
Further, he mentioned that the Government is focusing on vertical integration of small scale industries,
developing world class human resources and productive utilization of natural resources.
On the process aspect, engaged governance is being converged with e-governance. Rules and procedures
have been revised to provide effective, efficient and transparent processes. The state provides an ambient
and friendly environment for setting up and running business. The Summit is the beginning of building
long term relationships and a step in the journey to make Punjab the easiest place to do business in India.
He further iterated that it is about injecting positivity in the economic environment, inducting
togetherness in social economic activities and bringing global and local inclusiveness in the economic
processes.
4. Keynote Address by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri. Sukhbir Singh Badal
The Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Shri. Sukhbir Singh Badal welcomed the delegates to Punjab. He
stated that Punjab is not only known for its contribution to agriculture but also for its strong industrial
base. The purpose of the Summit is to showcase Punjab as the best investment destination.
Punjab ranks first in terms of prosperity and quality of life as per the RBI’s rankings. The World Bank
Report states that Ludhiana is the best place to do business in India. In India Today’s yearly report,
Punjab ranks first in agriculture, infrastructure, and consumer market and food grain production in India.
According to ASSOCHAM report, Punjab has a 79% success rate for investment.
Punjab offers the best infrastructure, high per capita income, skilled and enterprising population, and a
strong agricultural base. Punjab’s vision is to think big and achieve big. Ideas are more important than the
resources. The government focuses on growth with equity and inclusive social development. A ministry
of governance reforms has been created to simplify laws and focus on citizen centric governance.
The government aims to increase connectivity and provide upgraded transport facilities. The state
government is concentrating on upgrading its health services and engaging youth through sports. With
three international and three domestic airports, and a holistic road network, Punjab is one of the most
connected states in India. Punjab will have planned cities and towns in the next three to four years and has
invited private players to provide services.
Also, the State is being developed as an educational hub with world class institutions, like ISB, setting up
campuses in Punjab. The benefit of the forward policies has already been demonstrated by a 20-25%
growth in the State’s revenue receipts. The Poverty Index has fallen from 21% to 8% in the last five
years. Further, the State has achieved a power surplus status.
Government departments are being shifted online for citizens’ convenience and to minimize interactions
between the Government and the industry. The Excise & Taxation Department has been fully
computerized. The Right to Service Act ensures timely delivery of services to the citizens.
He announced that the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion has been set up to fast track investments
in the State. The CEO of Invest Punjab has powers related to various departments and can be contacted
for all investment related queries. In the new package of incentives, the State is providing fiscal
advantages like VAT retention, property tax exemption and stamp duty exemption.
5. Panel Discussion
Mr. Sunil Munjal commended the Government of Punjab for the new package of incentives and its focus
on governance reforms. He also spoke about the strong economic potential due to the opening of the
Wagah Border and the State Government’s instrumental role in building a positive relationship between
the two nations.
Further, Mr. Munjal stressed on three key principles of the new package of incentives. He stated that
established industries should provide their views and should be a beneficiary of the new package of
incentives. The State should provide services that improve quality of life of citizens and build
relationships abroad with a focus on eastern countries.
Mr. Munjal further spoke about the Hero Group’s interest in investing in the healthcare and skills sector
in Punjab.
Mr. Mukesh Ambani in his address praised the fast track approach of the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister
and his enthusiasm to partner with industry to create value for the citizen. He informed that Reliance
Industries would be investing around INR 2500 Crore in 4G and broadband services in Punjab.
Mr. Ambani envisioned Punjab as a digital hub with connected schools, colleges and hospitals, which
provide thousands of direct and indirect employment. Further, he informed that Reliance Foundation is
working in Punjab, promoting sports in schools and other educational institutes.
Mr. LN Mittal spoke about the oil refinery established in Bathinda. He praised the government for its
support by providing almost 470 approvals in fastest possible manner. He also mentioned that Arcelor
Mittal has further expansion plans of the refinery. The refinery will provide opportunities to establish
other downstream industries and thereby create jobs and value in the region.
Mr. YC Deveshwar spoke about Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister’s meeting with the Chief Executives of
ITC in Delhi and admitted that they were swept by his enthusiasm. He stated that ITC is actively doing
business in Punjab, has been buying various agri commodities from the farmers and is a supplier of high
quality seeds.
He further mentioned that ITC is enthusiastic about investing in Punjab and setting up a state of the art
food processing industry near Ludhiana or Jalandhar. Further, Mr. Deveshwar stressed that the industry
should focus on inclusive and sustainable development.
Mr. Rajiv Singh emphasized on the importance of delivering on commitments. He spoke about
investments over INR 9,000 crore made by DLF in New Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. He
mentioned that DLF has long term commitments with Punjab and thanked the government for helping
DLF with respect to approvals and procedures.
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw commended Punjab’s commitment to make State as one of the easiest place to
do business in India. She mentioned that fast-tracking industry will help develop a startup culture in the
State. Biocon is very keen on investing in the State and Dr. Shaw stressed on about the enormous
potential of bio-technology in Punjab, especially in fields of biomass energy generation.
Mr. Ira Gumberg stated various reasons for choosing India as an investment destination such as a large
middle class population, young population, FDI liberalization and a need for global brand retail. His
company is opening a 2 Million square feet mall in Mohali and investing over 4 billion dollars in equity
in India. He appreciated the Government’s support in creating a business enabling culture and helping
first movers.
Mr. John H Lin spoke about the MoU signed between the Government of Punjab and CTCI Corporation
and investments in infrastructure and construction. Further, he suggested a solid waste management
system could be established in Punjab. He thanked the Government for the hospitality and for arranging a
special session for Taiwan during the summit.
Mr. Malvinder Singh spoke about the INR 1,000 Crore MoUs signed between Fortis Healthcare and
Government of Punjab. Further, he mentioned that Fortis would like to partner with other charitable
foundations in providing healthcare and healthcare education to the youth.
Mr. Onkar Singh Kanwar spoke about the starting of the tyre operations in 1964 in Punjab. He was
impressed with the Deputy Chief Minister’s presentation and would seriously consider investing in
Punjab.
He informed the gathering that Apollo group has strong presence in the tyre and healthcare businesses and
the group is eying Punjab as a major investment destination. Further, he stated that some Japanese
companies are keen to invest in Punjab and he would help facilitate such ventures.
Mr. Arun Sawhney spoke about Punjab as a major market for Ranbaxy with over eleven billion rupees
earned from the state. He spoke about his meeting with the Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister in Gurgaon
and praised the single window clearance initiative as a commendable step which can be followed as a
model by the other states.
Mr. GVK Reddy spoke about the PPP model project at Gowindwal Sahib, Punjab. He thanked the
Government for easing land acquisition and coal allocation for the project. He mentioned that the group is
planning to invest further in the power plant to increase its capacity and stressed on the importance of
surplus power.
Further, Mr. Reddy spoke about the group’s involvement in various CSR activities such as building
houses for the poor and providing emergency response ambulance services.
Mr. S.P Oswal spoke about the importance of the manufacturing industry indicating that manufacturing
industry accounts for 21% of the state GDP. He emphasized on the success factors for industry growth
such as positive political leadership and social harmony, administrative alignment to goals and a culture
to assimilate technology and skills.
He spoke about the large contribution of textiles sector in Punjab and the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s vision
to establish cotton spinning industry during the early 70’s by providing industry specific concessions and
also providing employment opportunities to rural women of Punjab.
6. MoUs exchanged
Some of the major MoUs announced during the inaugural session:
Company Name Description Sector
1 ADLABS Amusement park Entertainment
2 Amity Opening of university Skills
3 Bharti Airtel Pan Punjab Network deployment Industries
4 Cargill India Pvt. Ltd. Cattle Feed Mill at Bhatinda Agri & Food processing
5 CTCI Cooperation for development of
investment and construction
Industries
6 Digital Magic Entertainment and digital interactive
Content
Entertainment
7 DLF Universal Residential townships, commerical space Housing
8 DSM India Biogas projects Infrastructure
9 Fortis Healthcare Medical university and hospital Biosciences and Healthcare
10 Hinduja Group Opportunities across education, auto,
supply chain, sustainable development
and banking
Multiple
11 Infosys 50 acres for IT/ ITES SEZ Industries
12 International Tractors Increase in manufacture capacity Industries
13 ITC Food cum logistics center Agri & Food processing
14 ITC Hotel investment Infrastructure
15 Khanna Paper Mills Paper manufacturing Agri & Food processing
16 Kirloskar Integrated
Technologies Limited (KITL)
Mini Hydel Projects on Canals
Estimated Potential 10MW
Infrastructure
17 Kuantum papers Bio ethanol from rice straw Industries
18 Mahindra University and Agricultural ventures Skills
19 Mahindra Processing of basmati rice Agri & Food processing
20 Mahindra & Mahindra Seed Potato Agri & Food processing
21 Medanta Medicity Superspeciality Hospital Biosciences and Healthcare
22 Nahar Group Industrial Park and Spinning mills Industries
23 Ranbaxy Expansion of manufacturing Biosciences and Healthcare
24 Reliance Jio Infocomm 4G network set up pan Punjab Industries
25 Trident Group Paper packaging Industries
26 Trident Group Spinning Industries
27 Trident Group Hospital Industries
7. Closing Address by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri Parkash Singh Badal
The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab, Shri. Parkash Singh Badal, welcomed the delegates to the Summit.
He stressed on inclusive growth and promotion of charitable causes.
Due to saturation of labor in the agriculture sector, the industry provides an alternate employment base for
the people of Punjab. Land and buildings are available for opening skill centers which provide placement
and job oriented trainings to the youth. Further, to facilitate education for the poor segments of the
society, scholarships are being provided to students in Punjab.
Mr. Badal commended the people of Punjab as extremely resilient and patriotic. Punjab is a source of
almost 50% of the country’s food grains and has played a pivotal role in the agriculture sector all over the
world. He also announced the Agriculture Summit to be held in February 2014.
Mr. Badal ensured that everything has already been set in place for the industry. A lot of work has to be
done and the summit is a positive step in the direction of industrial development. All the commitments
made by both the Government and the industry should be adhered to. He stressed on following up on the
MoU’s and converting them into actual investments. He closed his address by wishing success to all the
delegates.
8. Vote of thanks by Hon’ble Minister for Industries and Commerce, Mr. Madan Mohan Mittal
Hon’ble Minister for Industries and Commerce, Mr. Madan Mohan Mittal closed the session with a vote
of thanks to all present at the Summit.
VI. Housing, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy sector in
Punjab- Propelling Sustainable Infrastructure
1. Presentation by Mr. Anurag Agarwal, IAS, Managing Director- Punjab Infrastructure
Development Board (PIDB) & Mr. Venu Prasad, IAS, Secretary- Housing and Urban
Development:
Mr. Venu Prasad highlighted the key areas of opportunity in the housing sector as well as the potential
investment opportunities in Urban Development based on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. He
highlighted the New Housing & Urban Development Policy 2013 and the various guidelines and
incentives put forward by the Government of Punjab. Mr. Anurag Agarwal informed the audience about
the functioning of the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and its social sector- PPP
initiatives. He also pointed out various opportunities for Logistics and Warehousing in the state like food
grain warehousing, silos, dry ports etc. Lastly, he detailed the power and renewable energy sector in
Punjab, the transmission and distribution of power in the state, as well as the NRSE policy incentives that
make the state an attractive investment destination for potential investors. Some of the upcoming projects
in the state include: IT City, Medicity, Education City – New Chandigarh, Bus Rapid Transit Systems
(BRTS), Road Sector Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT Projects), Downtown Mohali etc.
2. Address by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Punjab- Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal
Mr. Badal spoke about infrastructure being the main thrust area in the state and the government has taken
a holistic approach to develop it throughout Punjab. He stressed on the fact that planning for development
of infrastructure has already been completed and implementation of projects is under way. Punjab has a
number of attractive projects ranging from provisioning of civil services to development of road networks
for private investments. Further, he pointed out that Punjab has a large propensity to consume and is a
good place to invest in.
Another major thrust of the government is on renewable energy. The state has already awarded projects
for generating solar energy with a capacity of around 200 megawatts. For biomass energy production, the
target for the next three years is to achieve a capacity of 1000 megawatts as it provides clean energy,
utilizes agriculture waste and provides an additional income for farmers.
With respect to urban development, Mr. Badal gave the example of Dubai stressing on the fact that they
have created a large economy despite lack of natural resources. He spoke about two world class key
projects in this regard- Ludhiana Downtown and Mohali Downtown and invited large developers to be a
part of these landmark projects.
3. Panel Discussion
Name Designation Organisation
1 Arvind Mahajan Head, Infrastructure and
Government Services KPMG
2 SK Roongta Chairman
Talwandi Sabo Power Limited
& Head Aluminium & Power
Business Group, Vedanta
3 Mohit Gujral Vice Chairman DLF India
4 Ravi Khanna CEO Aditya Birla Solar
5 Krishna Ram Bhupal Managing Director GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd
6 Pradeep Singh Deputy Dean Indian School of Business
Mr. Arvind Mahajan began the discussion with a brief introduction to the sector. He spoke about Punjab’s
vision being directly linked with creating enabling infrastructure for industry. Punjab, unlike many other
states, is creating infrastructure before industrialization, which is more like the Chinese model compared
to other parts of India where infrastructure is lagging. He invited the panelists to the discussion, most of
who have invested in Punjab.
DLF has been quite committed in terms of investments it has already made. Moreover, earlier the
goal was to make Mohali the next Gurgaon, without the infrastructure problems. Mr. Mahajan
asked Mr. Gujral about his experience in terms of working in creating infrastructure, specifically
with respect to urban infrastructure in the state?
Mohit Gujral: DLF started its journey with land acquisitions six years ago. Even the ease of doing
business of buying land is one of the easiest in the State except the fact that there farmers that are
reluctant to sell land in Punjab because they’re relatively wealthier. DLF prefers to buy land directly from
the stakeholders or make them partners – similar to the Punjab policy of land pooling. Moreover, the
state has been welcoming and supportive with respect to administrative and infrastructure support and
DLF hopes to finish Phase I of their project by March.
Further, he appreciated the dialogue with the state with respect to participative discussions on
improvement of industry. The company looks forward to moving more vertical in their growth towards
higher value avenues such as high-rise buildings and retail ventures.
He suggested that the government should adopt a single window channel to address industry issues.
Mr. Arvind Mahajan asked Mr. SK Roongta about his experience in creating a power project
considering that they are facing a lot of challenges in recent times.
SK Roongta: Mr. Roongta appreciated Punjab’s initiative to envisage mega power projects when the basic
raw material for the power project is almost 1200-1700 kilometers away. He highlighted the efficiency of
the bidding process and implementation of the contract with respect to the TSPCL project. The local
administration has been proactive in sorting out any issues relating to labor, availability of raw material,
transportation issues, etc.
However, the plants do face the issues of coal linkages and the logistics and the various stakeholders need
to work together to solve these issues. He commended the government’s involvement in tackling these
issues with the Hon’ble Chief Minister himself intervening with respect to the coal procurement issue.
Mr. Arvind Mahajan invited Mr. Krishna Ram Bhupal to share his experience in implementing
power project in the State and talk about the interface with the government with respect to
addressing challenges.
Krishna Ram Bhupal: Mr. Bhupal spoke about GVK’s advent into Punjab in 1996-97 to sign MoU to set
up a 600MW Power station. He mentioned that things actually started moving after the present
government came in and they signed the power purchase agreement, got the contractors on board and
completed all the clearances. He spoke about the major issues in the power sector. With respect to land
acquisition, the support given by the government has been commendable. Within 2.5 years, they were
able to acquire almost 1000 acres on mutual negotiation and whenever required, with the support of the
Government. With respect to clearances, GVK was able to obtain 60 clearances with the help of the State
Government. He also highlighted the support provided by Hon’ble CM for obtaining the fuel linkages for
the power plant. He pointed out that the State of Punjab is on the right path as most other States have got
investments in industries but have failed in the power sector. Punjab has tackled the power sector first and
is now getting investments on board -which is a great long term strategy.
Mr. Arvind Mahajan pointed out that Punjab is also looking towards clean development and
renewable energy with solar and biomass power generation as focus areas. Aditya Birla Solar is
operating in a number of states in India. He asked Mr. Ravi Khanna about his recommendations to
investing in Punjab.
Ravi Khanna: In renewable energy, scaling up quickly is very essential and one needs to be forward
looking as it is going to be a market phenomenon not just limited to a venture. This “scale up” needs a lot
of planning and infrastructure development. For e.g. Germany is the largest solar power producer in the
world with 40% of its power from solar. It took them 15 years for their first 5MW project. In India, we
are in the planning process through bids covering projects up to 10 MW. He spoke about three issues in
solar energy- Infrastructure, Evacuation and Regulatory. The main issues are scaling up land procurement
and readiness- keeping in mind the speed of scaling up of the sector as well as ambitions of the
landowners. Land cost is an issue and land banks may be created by the government. With respect to
evacuation; 11KV and 66 KV are the evacuation points and there is a need to understand the cost
implications involved and availability of the grids in the future. Regulatory approvals take long which is
an issue in a world with currency fluctuations.
With respect to bio mass, ensuring quality of inputs is as important as investing in the final generation
systems. He further stressed on scaling up projects as it is very difficult to administer Viability Gap
Fundings (VGF) in smaller volumes as administration costs are very high with large exposures to
companies. A suggestion would be to give subsidy on debt as it gives same impetus as a VGF.
Mr. Arvind Mahajan mentioned that Punjab is also looking at power being cheaper. He invited Mr.
Roongta to answer the question on how to manage that considering Coal India is not able to meet
its commitment and need for import of coal.
SK Roongta: Mr. Roongta said that Punjab has opted for super critical power plants which are very fuel
efficient. The bids received by Government of Punjab are at competitive rates, and considering that these
are super critical power plants- even if the balance coal is imported and transported to the power plants in
Punjab, the power will be cheaper than other states or open exchanges. With the power surplus situation
emerging in the State, cost of power will be lower in Punjab and this benefit can be transferred to
industry. However, there is a need to ensure that transmission and distribution losses are progressively
brought down. Moreover, the Government of Punjab has developed a robust transmission network
through which they will be able to serve the industry at a competitive rate.
He suggested that the Government of Punjab’s systems and processes should build in unforeseen
circumstances such fuel hikes, economy crashes, etc. into their models.
Mr. Arvind Mahajan invited Mr. Pradeep Singh to speak up about current role of ISB CEO in
promoting education as a means to enhance human capital and create employability in the State.
Pradeep Singh: Mr. Singh mentioned that ISB Mohali is a year and half old in its operations and was set
up quickly with the support of the Government of Punjab. They were given 71 acres on a nominal lease
which is needed for educational institutes. Moreover, there was ready support in construction and to
attract companies to support in capital investment. He spoke about his association with Government of
Punjab and the Infrastructure sector during his stints with IL&FS for 10 years and IDFC projects for 5
years prior to joining ISB. He detailed his experience with PIDB 13 years ago, which at that time was a
leader in the country and was created out of an act by the Punjab Government assembly which gave form
and shape to concept of Public-Private partnerships while the country was still struggling on how to
proceed on this model. When IL&FS signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the PIDB, they were
given all possible resources and support to help the Government of Punjab in structuring a pipeline of
infrastructure projects in various sectors to attract private sector investments. This has shown results as
explained by MD PIDB. Punjab was the first state in the country to impose a cess on diesel and
subsequently on food grain trading in the mandis which created a pool of money available for public-
private partnerships for infrastructure. The amount raised today is INR 1200 per annum. They have
clearly identified infrastructure as a source of attracting private capital, managerial efficiencies and
technical know improvements.
With respect to India as a whole, incremental investment from the private sector in infrastructure has been
negligible. He suggested that the Government of Punjab makes use of the opportunity to attract private
investment in infrastructure and address issues faced by developers to get investments at a fast pace.
Some suggestions were to involve private sector in decision making before the policy and frameworks are
put in place, involve them in the single window system and adopt a structured approach for the policy
making process involving stakeholders. Most key infrastructure sectors are facing problems owing to
issues such as aggressive bidding, economic slowdown and fuel shortages and there is a need to put
mechanisms is place to resolve mistakes of the past. This can be done through regulation and experts
rather than blaming it on the bureaucracy. Hence, there is a need to create systems to resolve issues with
respect to infrastructure which would give impetus to further development of the sector.
4. Q&A session and open house:
A question was raised with respect to solar energy potential in the State. Considering that 40% of energy
source is from solar in Germany with maximum coming from rooftops- which are the points of
consumption, Mr. Ravi Khanna from Aditya Birla Solar was asked if he would see that happening in
India soon considering the focus is on mega projects at the moment. Mr. Khanna answered that Punjab is
ideally poised for the rooftop model with a prosperous community who is willing to expand to larger
projects. This would involve “Net Metering” as an infrastructure tool as adopted by Germany in which
the government provides incentive to private players.
Mr. Jaspal Deol from Allianz Group spoke about working with PEDA on policies and running a solar
power project in Punjab. He mentioned the Punjab Government’s policy on renewable energy
highlighting its near advent into Punjab with focus on rooftop models. Further, he highlighted the
importance of small projects to foster entrepreneurship and involvement of industry captains to encourage
smaller players. Moreover, he talked about development of the social sector to enhance alternative
incomes in the rural areas.
A representative from the GMR Group asked if Punjab Government is looking for Annuity models in
EPC mode with respect to road projects. Mr. Anurag Agarwal answered this question by mentioning that
the State is doing a lot of projects on EPC mode but not involved in annuity models as of now. He
informed that a proper study is conducted before the bidding process and issues are resolved during this
process. Currently 2 major road projects are underway viz. Ludhiana Bypass and Chandigarh-Phagwara
Road with internal rate of return of more than 15%.
5. MoU exchange
SNo. Company Description
1 Welspun Renewables Energy Ltd. 150 MW Solar PV Project
2 Continental Solar Private Limited 150MW Solar PV Power Projects.
3 Moser Baer Clean Energy Limited 150 MW Solar PV Power Projects.
4 Essel Infraprojects Limited 100 MW Solar PV Project
5 Indiabulls Power Limited 90 MW Solar PV Project
6 Allianz Group LLC. 75 MW Solar PV Project
25 MW Biomass Power Project
7 CONCOR Multi Modal Logistic parks
8 Digvijay Chemicals Multi Model Logistic Park
9 GAD Logistics (I) Pvt. Ltd. Multi Modal Logistic parks
10 Stelmec Ltd. Manufacturing of electrical Vacuum Circuit breaker of
various ratings.
11 Sidhwan Hydro Power Private Limited. 5 MW Canal based Solar PV Projects
12 Sturdy Industries Limited Aluminium Conductors and Cables
13 Nucon Switchgears Pvt.Ltd. Manufacturing of 66 KV Class Power
Transformers & 11 KV Distribution Transformers
14 Technical Associate Ltd. Manufacturing of Power Transformers & 20 MVA &
31.5MVA 66/11 KV capacity
6. Key recommendations
The key recommendations from the session were:
1.) Adoption of a single window system to address issues faced by the industry.
2.) Involvement of all stakeholders to address issues with respect to power, particularly those arising
from coal linkages.
3.) There is a need to ensure that transmission and distribution losses are progressively brought
down.
4.) With respect to solar energy, the government should plan to adopt large scale projects and create
infrastructure for these projects.
5.) Additionally, the government needs to adopt systems such as Net Metering to provide impetus for
the private sector to take up rooftop solar projects. Land banks need to be created and cost implications of
evacuation points of power need to be planned. Punjab is well poised for rooftop solar models and this
potential needs to be tapped.
6.) The Government of Punjab’s systems and processes should build in unforeseen circumstances
such as fuel hikes, economy crashes, etc. into their models.
7.) Involve private sector in decision making before the policy and frameworks are put in place and
involve them in the single window system.
8.) Adopt a structured approach for the policy making process involving stakeholders.
9.) Most key infrastructure sectors are facing problems owing to issues such as aggressive bidding,
economic slowdown and fuel shortages. There is a need to put mechanisms in place to resolve mistakes of
the past. This can be done with the help of experts and using efficient regulations rather than blaming it
on the bureaucracy.
The session was concluded with a vote of thanks by MD PIDB and Secretary, Housing and Urban
Development.
VII. Biosciences & Healthcare sector in Punjab: Revolutionizing
Punjab’s Healthcare & Biosciences Industry
1. Opening presentation: Ms. Vini Mahajan, IAS, Principal Secretary, Health and Family
Welfare, Government of Punjab
Ms. Mahajan welcomed the panelists and the audience for the discussion and gave a brief introduction of
Healthcare and Biosciences sector in Punjab. She introduced the distinguished panelists and gave brief
introductory remark on the importance of healthcare and biosciences in Punjab.
Ms. Vini Mahajan provided context to the session and emphasized on the huge potential that the
healthcare sector has in both urban and rural areas of the state. She mentioned about the proposed
Medicity at Mullanpur. She announced that a cancer treatment hospital on the lines of TMC Mumbai, is
being setup by the Government of India on 50 acres of land provided by the state government at the
Medicity. This would be the second largest hospital after the one in Mumbai.
She touched upon the competitive advantage that Punjab possesses due to the presence of renowned and
world class educational establishments such as National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and
Research (NIIPER), National Agri - Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Indian Institute of Science
Education & Research (IISER) and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
(PGIMER).
She also gave an overview of the policy and incentives that healthcare establishments enjoy.
She highlighted the emerging investment regions in the state such as Mohali, Amritsar etc. and the
opportunities such as medical tourism, government health insurance and universal health care wherein
Punjab has a significant advantage.
2. Panel discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Organisation
1 Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw CMD Biocon Limited
2 Mr. KG Ananthakrishnan Managing Director Merck India
3 Mr. Rajiv Gulati President- Global Pharmaceutical Business Ranbaxy
4 Dr Ajay Bakshi Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer Max Healthcare
5 Mr. Ashish Bhatia Chief Operating Officer Fortis Healthcare
Brief introductions by the moderator and panelists:
Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw: Dr. Shaw heads India’s leading biotechnology enterprise, Biocon. She is
highly respected in the corporate world and has been named among TIME magazine’s 100 most
influential people in the world. Economic Times also placed her at India Inc’s top 10 most powerful
women CEO for the year 2012. Biocon, Asia’s leading biotech enterprise, headquartered in Bangalore,
India, is constantly engaged in delivering affordable innovation. As a fully integrated biopharma company
Biocon delivers innovative solutions, across discovery, development and commercialization of
biopharmaceuticals value chain, leveraging the cutting edge science, cost-effective drug development
capabilities and global scale manufacturing capacities, in order to move ideas to market. It is the largest
insulin company in India. FY-13 revenues crossed USD 100 Mn milestone.
Mr. KG Ananthakrishnan: Mr. Ananthakrishnan is the Managing Director of Merck India. He is
responsible for South Asia Region operations, which includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.
He has been a speaker at leading management schools including Columbia University U.S, Indian
Institute of Management, Indore, Indian School of Business and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management
Studies. He is actively involved in industry related matters and is currently Chairman of the Technical
Committee of OPPI (Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India) and an active member of its
Executive Committee. Merck offers a basket of 75 plus best-in-class products contributing significantly to
critical disease mitigation and prevention. The company is also involved in collaborative patient support
programmes aimed at improving the lives of people living with disease.
Mr. Rajiv Gulati: Mr. Gulati is currently President-Global Pharmaceuticals Business, for Ranbaxy
Laboratories Limited. Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited is a research based international pharmaceutical
company serving customers in over 150 countries. For more than 50 years, the company has been
providing high quality, affordable medicines trusted by healthcare professionals and patients across
geographies. Ranbaxy is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. Daiichi Sankyo is a leading global
pharma innovator, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Before joining Ranbaxy in April, 2011, Mr. Gulati was
head of Emerging Market Strategy for Eli Lilly & Co., working at their global head office at Indianapolis,
USA. He was responsible for directing the strategy for globalization, driving significant improvements in
global sourcing, structure and processes leading to enhanced cross functional coordination and
productivity. He has contributed to significant growth in sales, creating one of the fastest start-up
businesses, executing business critical deals including in-licensing and out-licensing of technologies and
products, creation and implementation of a long term strategy for Eli Lilly in the fast growing economies
across functions like demand realization, research and development, IT and manufacturing.
Dr Ajay Bakshi: Dr Bakshi, the MD and CEO of Max Healthcare is an experienced healthcare
professional and has played diverse roles as a practicing neurosurgeon (India), a stem cell scientist
(USA), and a management consultant (Global) over the last two decades. He has abundant expertise in
healthcare with strong leadership skills and passion for innovation. He received his medical training from
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, India and has completed the Wharton
Management Program from The Wharton School (2002-2004). Dr. Bakshi has been leading Max
Healthcare since November 2011. Since then, the Max Healthcare family has grown to over 7,000
employees and four new hospitals have been launched successfully.
Mr. Ashish Bhatia: Mr. Bhatia currently holds the position of Chief Operating Officer at Fortis
Healthcare India. As an integral part of the senior management at Fortis, he handles the overall operations
of all Fortis hospitals in India. Having started his career with the Tea Gardens at Assam, Mr. Bhatia has
over 29 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Fortis, he was Vice President -Marketing with Hero
Motors. Under his leadership, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, which is amongst the world’s largest stand
alone cardiac institutions, has received the NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and
Healthcare Providers) accreditation, the highest national recognition for quality patient care and safety.
Panel discussion
Dr Kiran Mazumdar Shaw initiated the panel presentations. She spoke about the opportunities in bio
technology. She focused upon the use of biotechnology in food security through agriculture, in terms of
how production can be increased and also how barren land can be used for agricultural purposes.
She also laid emphasis on the role of biotechnology in health security through preventive vaccines,
diabetic insulins, hepatitis vaccines and cancer bodies etc. and thirdly on energy security through bio fuels
and bio gas.
Dr Shaw spoke about creation of more enablers in the state for investments in these areas besides good
infrastructure and uninterrupted power supply. These include creating specific clusters for
biotechnological plants and offering incentives for training in the sector.
Dr Shaw mentioned that few of the biotech solutions for sustainable development in Punjab include
genetically modified crops to increase sustainable food production, bio tech improvements to soil and
water, rapid and precise development and manufacturing of vaccines and therapeutics, personalized and
cost effective diagnostics, regenerative medicines from repair to new organs, using carbon dioxide as the
raw material and zero water bio processing.
She further iterated that power and water are the huge enablers that give Punjab a competitive advantage
in the sector.
Mr. Ananthakrishnan started with the scope of bio pharma industry in Punjab. He emphasized on the
available resources contributing to the growth of pharmaceutical industry in the state. He mentioned that
pharma is a trillion dollar industry. He mentioned that while Punjab has been known for its agricultural
sector in the past, the future for the state belongs to the Biosciences sector.
He further iterated that access to treatment of Hepatitis and Diabetes should be the focus area for Punjab.
Dwelling further on the point he mentioned that the state should focus on opening Diabetes counseling
centres.
Rajiv Gulati started his address sharing his long standing association with Punjab. He mentioned that until
1970 no price control policy was inforce which led to large multinationals pharmaceutical companies
gaining undue competitive advantage in the market. This led to rise of prices.
Further he mentioned that, in 1970 price control was imposed that benefited the patents with substantial
reduction in prices.
Mr. Gulati mentioned that a partnership model needs to be developed between the government and the
private health sector.
He added that Biosimilars should not be the focus area for Punjab. Given the large number of small API
formulation manufacturers, Punjab should focus on Generics.
Dr. Ajay Bakshi emphasized that role of Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the area of healthcare to
provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the patients. Dr. Bakshi iterated that Max
healthcare is successfully operating 2 hospitals in the state under the PPP model. He mentioned about the
tremendous support extended by the state in making the venture a success.
Dr. Bakshi touched upon the lack of availability of good physicians, especially specialists, which is
posing as a major area of concern for Punjab
He mentioned that for the successful implementation of public private partnerships, the cooperation
should come from both sides. It should be very simple with transparent objectives which work for both
sides.
He applauded the cancer treatment scheme extended by the state wherein any patient suffering from
cancer can avail Rs. 1.5 lacs for treatment. The process for sanction is very simple. He emphasized that
these kinds of partnerships are quite beneficial to the society and provide the solution to India’s health
care problem.
3. Q&A Session
Ms. Vini Mahajan summarized the views of the panelists and started the question & answer session.
A question was raised regarding the reasons for having more diabetic patients in our country and more
cancer suffering patients in Punjab?
Addressing the question, Dr Shaw mentioned that in case of cancer, there has been very little research
done. Further the research in the area of cancer takes 5 to 10 years to get the answer. Various institutions
are working with Centre of Disease Control to ascertain the causes of Cancer and Diabetes. Ms. Mahajan
also iterated the fact that it is not a correct statement that Punjab has the highest incidences of Cancer.
4. Recommendations
1. A partnership model needs to be developed between the public and the private health sector to
provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the masses
2. Access to treatment of Hepatitis and Diabetes should be the focus area for Punjab. The state
should focus on opening Diabetes counseling centres.
3. Punjab should focus on environmental stability and green technology – Biotech provides
solutions for both. This is critical for a state like Punjab with high agricultural dependence.
4. Availability of good physicians, especially specialists is a major area of concern in Punjab which
the state should address by way of policy incentives as well as opening of more medical institutions with
a focus on retaining the trained talent in the state.
The session was closed with a vote of thanks to the panelists by Ms. Vini Mahajan.
VIII. Information Technology sector in Punjab: The emerging
destination for IT/ITeS and Electronics Sector
1. Opening remarks: Mr. Biren Ghose, Country Head Technicolour India
Session was moderated by Mr. Biren Ghose, who opened the session. He requested Sh. A.R. Talwar IAS,
Principal Secretary, IT & Technical Education, Government of Punjab to give an overview of Information
Technology and Electronics Hardware sector in Punjab.
Mr. A. R Talwar commenced the session and welcomed all the delegates. He briefed the delegates about
the objectives of Summit, new policies, and incentives for investments in Punjab and the opportunities for
investors in the IT/ITeS and electronics sector in India.
He mentioned that Mohali and Amritsar are being promoted as key IT destinations with plug and play
infrastructure, skilled labor and excellent infrastructure in terms of availability of power, connectivity and
real estate at competitive cost.
Briefing the group on the incentives offered by the Government of Punjab, Mr. Talwar mentioned the 80
% retention of VAT and CST for 10 years unto to 80% of Fixed Capital Investment (FCI). Further
incentives include 100% exemption from electric duty and stamp duty for 10 years, 100% exemption
from property tax for 10 years and Preferential Market Access (PMA) to electronics hardware
manufacturing units in line with the Government of India policy.
In terms of opportunities in IT and electronics hardware sector in Punjab, Mr. Talwar mentioned that
there is a significant potential for providing IT/ ITeS in the local market and private companies have
proposed to develop IT parks to foster growth of IT industry in the State.
2. Panel discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Organisation
1 Mr. Biren Ghose Country Head Technicolor
2 Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo National President Indian Cellular Association
3 Mr. Sanjeev Gupta Managing Director Accenture
4 Mr. Sanjeev Keskar Chairman Indian Electronics and
Semiconductor Association (IESA)
5 Dr. Omkar Rai Director General Software Technology Park of India
6 Mr. Vishal Dhar Co-founder and President - Marketing iYogi
The session was also attended by Mr. Adesh Pratap Kairon, Hon’ble Minister for Information
Technology, Food and Civil Supplies, Government of Punjab
Brief introductions by the moderator and panelists:
Mr. Biren Ghose: Mr. Ghose is Country Head for Technicolor India, a USD 5 billion arts and sciences
leader involved in the media, entertainment and technology. Technicolor India is a premiere animation
company offering world-class services in animation and visual effects for movies and television; game
development and other media services. Technicolor India the Indian subsidiary of Technicolor, USA,
designs and produces world-class animation, visual effects and games deploying cutting-edge
technologies and dedicated creative talent pool.
Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo: Mr. Mohindroo is the founder and current National President of the Indian
Cellular Association (ICA). ICA is the apex body of the mobile industry comprising manufacturers, brand
owners, application and solution providers, distributors, retailers and eminent consumers of mobile
handsets. He is an entrepreneur with business interests in telecom, Information Technology, publishing,
strategy consulting etc. He has over 28 years of experience covering various industries like sugar, food
processing, telecom, IT, retailing, media & broadcasting, DTH, international trading, infrastructure
(Industrial Parks, Port Infrastructure), steel, woolen knitwear, textiles, personal care products, oleo-
chemicals, paints, pigments and dyes.
Mr. Sanjeev Gupta: Mr. Gupta is the Managing Director of Accenture India. Accenture is a global
management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 266,000
people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Accenture has been operating in India since 1987, and
was the first Multi National Consulting firm to set up operations in India. Today, Accenture serves more
than 500 global clients, including Fortune 1000 companies, through its operations in Bangalore, Chennai,
Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
Mr. Sanjeev Keskar: Mr. Keskar is the Chairman of the India Electronics and Semiconductor
Association (IESA), the trade body, representing the Indian Electronic System Design and Manufacturing
(ESDM) and Semiconductor industry. He has served as Managing Director, Sales, PMC-Sierra for India
and south-east Asia since January 2010. Prior to this appointment, Keskar was Country Manager, Sales, at
Freescale Semiconductor from 2005 to 2009, where he led the revenue growth for the India sales
operations. Prior to that, he was the Country Manager for AMD Far East Ltd. in India from 2001 to 2005.
Overall, he has more than 25 years of experience and has spent 20 years in semiconductor sales.
Dr. Omkar Rai: Dr. Rai is Director General, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) and has got
wide experience in the area of IT/ITES industry. He has worked in various capacities in the central
Government departments before joining STPI. He is also on the Board of Directors of MTNL-STPI IT
Services Limited and National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). Software Technology Parks of India
(STPI) is a government agency in India, established in 1991 under the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology, which manages the Software Technology Park scheme. It is an export oriented
scheme for the development and export of computer software, including export of professional services.
Mr. Vishal Dhar: Mr. Dhar is the co-founder and President-Marketing of iYogi, a company that he co-
founded in 2007. Vishal is also one of the founders of IQ Resource, a niche BPO (Business Process
Outsourcing) business focused on the business media industry. He was the CEO of the Friday
Corporation, the largest information services provider in India with over 230 sources of research,
editorial, profiles and real-time company and market information. iYogi is a leading provider of online
technical support services to consumers and small businesses across a wide range of computing and
communications devices and software. Leveraging its proprietary Digital Service Cloud software
technology platform, iYogi delivers support services to millions of customers globally and its services are
available on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year. iYogi recently launched on-ground support services as well,
which are currently available across continental USA. With a growing global footprint, iYogi services are
available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and UAE the GCC.
Panel discussion
Mr. Biren Ghose suggested that policy should be a living document with flexibility to adopt changes and
the Government should focus on forming an industry group collaborating with people, industry, academia
and government to improve dialogue. He also expressed his desire to work with Government of Punjab to
assist in drafting a policy for the animation sector.
He further mentioned that a possible area of opportunity in Punjab is tapping potential across art schools
to improve the animation and creative industry. This concept is famously quoted as “Digitalization of Arts
Schools”. India contributes to only 0.7% of the global animation which leaves significant headroom. The
future of video is to be the next postcard and there is a massive potential opportunity in this space.
Mr. Sanjeev Keskar apprised the group on opportunities in electronics system design & manufacturing.
Mr. Keskar stated that electronics industry is likely to become $ 400 billion in next 10 years with 60 %
being imported products. Electronic items that are being manufactured are low value items as there is no
local IP and component ecosystem.
He further elaborated that there is a need for development of self-sufficient electronics manufacturing
base in the country. He mentioned that electronics sector in India contributes to only 2% of the GDP
where as in countries like Korea and Japan it contributes to 20% of the GDP.
He suggested that Punjab can explore opportunities in manufacture of PCB, connectors, transformers,
batteries, industrial electronics, and defense & aerospace automation.
Mr. Pankaj Mohindroo provided the group an overview of Indian mobile industry & opportunities in the
ESDM sector. He mentioned that world’s largest mobile phone ecosystem is in India. Indian industry has
enormous capabilities for IP creation. To move up the value chain and create IP at a product level requires
massive financial inputs, great entrepreneurship and risk to burn capital. India’s contribution to Global
Handset market was 1.65% in 2002 where as today it is 13.8%.
He also mentioned, one out of every 8 handsets sold in the world is in India. From a demand of merely 5
million handsets in 2001, the mobile handset market is estimated to have crossed 200 million units at the
end of 2012 and it is expected to cross 545 million units by 2020. Thus, shift of market trend into
mobility based technologies creates additional opportunities in this space. Smart phones and tablets will
change the way India looks at Information Technology and Electronics.
Mr. Vishal Dhar discussed on increasing importance of direct-to-consumer services and opportunities in
this space. Mr. Dhar gave a brief introduction about his company. He added to what Mr. Mohindroo
mentioned about the mobile industry. Mobile and computing based applications impact larger
organizations in the world currently but there is huge potential market in the small and medium scale
businesses also.
Punjab Government should take a lead on disintermediation from the traditional value chain. Incubation
centers provide excellent facilities to start ups at an early stage improving the chances of a successful
venture. Thus to attract investment from new companies, Punjab should promote Incubation centers in the
state.
Mr. Omkar Rai mentioned on the future outlook of IT companies in India. The total turnover of Indian IT/
ITeS sector was $108 Billion in 2012 out of which $76 Billion were exports; there is a significant scope
for tapping the domestic market. Though these numbers are encouraging but we need to think how to take
this industry to next level or how to move up the value chain.
He mentioned that in order to move up the value chain, the Government and industry should focus on
creating Intellectual Property and productizing it. Central and State Government are working together and
coming up with policies, programs and incentives so that the industry can move up the value chain.
Mr. Sanjeev Gupta addressed the group on the topic of identifying and developing unique capabilities for
Punjab. He remarked that IT/ ITEs in India is moving up the value chain and focusing significantly on
software development, mobility, cloud, etc. Indian IT/ ITeS would grow to USD 200 Billion by 2020 and
there is a predicted increase in domestic consumption in India.
What can Punjab do uniquely to tap this huge market competing with well established eco systems in
other parts of India? Benefits, Incentives, improving infrastructure etc. can take a location only to a
certain extent on the global map but to reach greater heights, the location should identify its key strengths
and promote them. Client has an important stake in decision making and hence the location should also be
appealing to the customer base of IT/ ITES industry. He expressed that Punjab needs to identify a skill
that can be leveraged to project uniqueness of the location. State should also concentrate on exploring
opportunities that arises with increasing domestic market in the IT/ ITES space.
3. Q&A Session
A question was raised regarding what is uniquely offered by Punjab that IT/ITES industry can leverage to
develop capabilities and compete with established eco systems like Gurgaon.
The question was answered by Mr. Vishal Dhar who stated that decision cannot be made based on one
unique property. Detailed analysis needs to be conducted in education, infrastructure, skill set maturity,
business ecosystem and a decision should be arrived at based on the aggregated result. A platform has
already been created in Mohali, and it only needs to be up-scaled effectively.
Another question was raised regarding the probability of success being very low for wafer technology for
electronics hence the government should have liberal incentive policy otherwise the industry won’t
flourish.
The question was answered by Mr. Sanjeev Keskar who mentioned that the policies are quite flexible.
Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) is not only for mobile phones but it is for all types
of electronics (from components to system). He also suggested that to improve the success rate of
ventures in this space, a back up business plan should be created in parallel to the original business plan to
minimize risk and avoid failure.
Another question was raised if India can build its own IP system like China so that local IT companies
can make more profit.
Mr. Pankaj Mahendroo answered the question. He mentioned that there is a need for regulatory reforms in
this area. A policy needs to be developed to promote local companies like China where 3 companies
among the top 5 companies have to be Chinese.
A question was raised regarding the process and timeline for clearance for MSMEs. Also who will be
single point of contact for the same?
It was answered by Hon’ble Minister Information Technology, Food and Civil Supplies, Sh. Adesh Pratap
Kairon in his closing remarks. He mentioned that Punjab is currently focusing on developing Mohali and
Amritsar as IT hub owing to large talent pool availability, good infrastructural facilities and plug and play
ventures. STPI’s have dedicated government space and any business/ Government related enquiry can be
handled through this window. The package of incentives introduced by Government is an evolutionary
policy and further suggestions from the industry are welcome. Going forward, there will be regular
interactions with the industry to make this sector business friendly. Significant emphasis is being given to
development of infrastructure in the state with special focus on laying of optical fibers to increase
communication penetration.
4. Recommendations
1.) There is a need for development of self-sufficient electronics manufacturing base in the country
and Punjab should spearhead the same.
2.) Punjab should explore opportunities in manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB),
connectors, transformers, batteries, industrial electronics, and defense & aerospace automation.
3.) Mobile and computing based applications impact larger organizations in the world currently but
there is huge potential market in the small and medium scale businesses also.
4.) Incubation centers provide excellent facilities to start ups at an early stage improving the chances
of a successful venture. Thus to attract investment from new companies Punjab should promote
Incubation centers in the state.
5.) In order to move up the value chain, government and industry should focus on creating
Intellectual Property and productizing it. In this regard the Central and State government should work
together for coming up with policies, programs and incentives.
The session was closed with a vote of thanks to the panelists by Mr. A. R Talwar, IAS, Principal
Secretary, IT & Technical Education, and Government of Punjab.
IX. Agro and Food Processing sector in Punjab: Beyond the Green
Revolution
1. Opening presentation: Mr. Suresh Kumar, IAS, Financial Commissioner Development,
Government of Punjab
Mr. Suresh Kumar commenced the session and welcomed all the delegates. He introduced the
distinguished panelists and briefed the delegates about the objectives of summit, new policies, and
incentives for investments offered by the state for the Agri and Food Processing sector.
He emphasized that Punjab has been a catalyst to growth in India’s agriculture production and green
revolution; however the pace of growth has not sustained. The new fiscal incentives have been unveiled,
taking into consideration viewpoints of all the stakeholders in this sector. He also expressed that state
should focus on crop diversification, mechanization, bringing in new crops and reaching out to new
markets.
2. Panel discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Organisation
1 Mr. Siraj Chaudhry Chairman Cargill
2 Mr. Venkatesh Kini Deputy Business Unit President Coca-Cola India and South West Asia
3 Mr. Rajiv Wakhle Director Pepsico India
4 Mr. Sachid Madan CEO Technico Agri Sciences Limited
5 Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon Vice-Chancellor Punjab Agricultural University
Brief introductions by the moderator and panelists:
Mr. Siraj Choudhry: Mr. Chaudhry is the Chairman of Cargill India, the wholly owned subsidiary of
Cargill Inc., and the CEO of Cargill Foods India. Cargill's operations in India include the origination,
handling, processing and production of a wide range of products, including refined oils, grain and
oilseeds, sugar, cotton and animal health and nutrition. Cargill’s brands in India include edible oil brands
NatureFresh, Gemini, and Sweekar; vanaspati brands Rath and Sunflower Vanaspati; and wheat flour
brand Nature Fresh Chakki Atta.
Mr. Venkatesh Kini: Mr. Kini is the Deputy Business Unit President for Coca-Cola India and South
West Asia. He has served Coca-Cola for more than 14 years and has more than two decades of experience
in India and the US, in marketing, sales and general management roles. The Coca-Cola Company is one
of the world's largest beverage company, providing more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by
Coca-Cola, the Company's portfolio features 15 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite,
Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle.
Mr. Rajiv Wakhle: Mr. Wakhle serves as the Senior Director - Operations (Foods) for PepsiCo India.
PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and in a short period, has grown into one of the largest and the fastest
growing food & beverage business in the country. PepsiCo India’s growth has been guided by PepsiCo’s
global vision of “Performance with Purpose”. This means that while businesses maximize shareholder
value, they have a responsibility to all the stakeholders including the communities in which they operate,
the consumers they serve and the environment whose resources they use.
Mr. Sachid Madan: Mr. Madan is Director of Technico Pty Ltd, Australia (Technico), a wholly owned
subsidiary of ITC Ltd, and a part of its Agri Business. He is also the Chairman of the Agri Committee of
FICCI. ITC Limited is one of India’s largest conglomerates and has significant market share in fast-
moving consumer goods, hotels, paperboards and packaging, agribusiness, and information technology.
Technico Agri Sciences Ltd commenced operations in March 1999 to produce high yielding, early
generation seed potatoes for India and neighboring export markets. Technico has contributed significantly
to the introduction of new varieties in India specially those suitable for making French fry and chips. It
works closely with farmers in India, China, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey and Senegal to improve
the quality of seed, agronomic practices and enhance yields and quality. It is also working closely in
micro irrigation initiatives to improve the sustainability of agriculture.
Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon: Dr Dhillon is an internationally famous agricultural scientist and former
Assistant Director General at ICAR, Director of NBPGR (ICAR), Vice-Chancellor, and Punjab
Agricultural University. He has a Doctorate from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New
Delhi. He has published 340 research publications and many books. The Punjab Agricultural University
was established in 1962 to serve the state of erstwhile Punjab. The PAU performs the integrated functions
of teaching, research and extension in agriculture, agricultural engineering, home science and allied
disciplines. The PAU has played a key role in increasing food grain production, livestock and poultry
production. In recognition of its outstanding achievements in agricultural research, education and
extension, it was adjudged the Best Agricultural University in India in 1995.
Panel discussion
Mr. Siraj Chaudhry mentioned that India has surplus production of wheat, rice and sugarcane while there
is a deficit in case of pulses and edible oil. The shortage is due to weaknesses in the distribution system
which has damaging effects. He emphasized upon the importance of marketing and distribution systems
in agriculture sector. He stressed that if agri production is not converted into agri business then the value
is not unlocked. The challenge for marketer in this sector is not to establish a business but to market it
properly and reach the end consumer.
Mr. Venkatesh Kini mentioned that there is a need to provide end to end solution to farmers. He
reiterated the importance of marketing in agriculture business. Strong connections between farmers and
marketers are required. Punjab should focus on mechanization of agriculture sector. Mr. Kini emphasized
on the fact that Agri sector should focus on mechanization to achieve higher production goals. He further
mentioned that with the enactment of the Contract Farming Act, the sector has become attractive and the
private sector should use it efficiently and effectively.
Mr. Rajiv Wakhle gave a brief introduction about Pepsi. He informed that more than 30% of fruits and
vegetables in India don’t reach the consumer from the farm. This is due to lack of proper storage
facilities. He touched upon the need for storage and silos in order curb the wastages as well as reduce the
risk exposure to farmers. He emphasized on the importance of sanitary and dry storage facilities to avoid
wastages and thereby reducing the risks faced by the farmers. He expressed that natural resources should
be judiciously used. 70% of the energy used in Pepsi plants is from bio fuels.
Mr. Suresh Kumar also stressed on preserving natural resources. In 1966, only 3% of the land in Punjab
had water table below 10 meters but today 92% of area the water table has dipped below 10 meters. This
is a serious concern and should be addressed equally by the government, farmers and the private sector.
Mr. Wakhle mentioned the need of enhancing the technical knowledge of the farmers and upgrading it on
regular basis as farmers need to be abreast of latest global technology
As a concluding remark to his address, Mr. Wakhle mentioned that higher agricultural production is only
sustainable when due emphasis is given to conservation of natural resources.
Mr. Sachid Madan mentioned that the core competencies of the state include vast resources, prosperous
people, good connectivity to ready markets and high levels of consumption. The state has opportunity in
terms of resources and markets but the food processing industry in Punjab needs improvement. Acting as
a growth catalyst, the new policy issued by the state would revolutionize food processing industry. The
state needs to move towards more diversified and profitable products. He stated that Punjab has the
highest per capita consumption of wheat and sixth highest for biscuits.
Mr. Madan added that the state has huge opportunity in contract farming. The agro community needs to
work together with the private sector to make Punjab the food processing bowl of India from currently
being known as the food bowl of India. He expressed that Punjab should also focus on agro forestry.
Mr. Suresh Kumar further added that in the diversification plan of the state, agro forestry occupies 30% of
the investment. Government would like to promote agro forestry in foot hills of Shivalik and water logged
areas.
Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon expressed his concern about how other states have taken a lead over Punjab in
the last few years in the Agro and Food Processing sector.
He iterated that the time has come when Punjab should move ahead from Agriculture to Agri-business.
The state needs to identify best practices and benchmark the practices being followed in Punjab against
them.
Dr Dhillon mentioned that it is very important that Punjab should focus on marketing of Agri produce.
Good marketing would go a long way in solving the problems of farmers in Punjab and further they will
be able to produce all types of crops depending on the environmental conditions.
3. Q&A Session
Mr. Suresh Kumar summarized the views of the panelists and started the question & answer session.
A question was raised that although Punjab is considered to be the best region to grow seed potatoes but
there is no monitoring of the system and the seed crops are getting destroyed. It was suggested that the
government declares Punjab as seed growing zone so that the state can export seed crops to rest of the
world. Further it was suggested that the banks and financial institutions should change their mindset
towards food and agro processing sector. Mr. Suresh Kumar mentioned that the state is working towards
the same.
Another question was raised regarding effect of VAT benefits announced under the new package of
incentives when GST will be enforced. Answering the query, Mr. Suresh Kumar informed the audience
about the package of fiscal incentives issued by the government on 5th December, 2013 to support the
sector. He briefly explained the incentives offered by the Government including incentives through
retention of VAT, CST and exemption of electricity duty, stamp duty and property tax. He also told that
government has constituted Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP) which is a single point of
contact for all investments in the State. All the MoU’s/ projects will be processed by this new set up and
the Bureau will have specialized officers deputed from all the regulatory departments of the government.
Another query was raised with regard to the status of investment if the incentives under the current
package of incentives are withdrawn by the government.
As an answer to this, Mr. Suresh Kumar addressed the concern of the investors regarding incentives
proposed by the Government. He informed the group that the government’s policy has come a long way
since 2003. The policy regime that has evolved now is going to be stable and sustainable. Policies take
time to evolve and the policy that Punjab has introduced now is more investor friendly and better than that
of many other states. It will be a live document and will continue to go through further changes. He
assured that government will not go back on the incentives offered.
A suggestion was put forward by a member of the audience informing about the new crop Stevia. It is a
natural sweetener and Punjab has favorable climate to grow it. It uses 80% less water as compared to
other crops and also helps in preservation of soil. Mr. Suresh Kumar appreciated the suggestion.
Another question was raised regarding the definition of farmer’s interest. Addressing the same, Mr.
Suresh Kumar mentioned that the farmers in Punjab have reached level of prosperity and government of
Punjab cannot compromise on that. Government would like to maintain, sustain and grow that level of
prosperity.
4. Recommendations
1) The shortage in agricultural production can be addressed by developing marketing and distribution
systems in the agri Sector. Strong connections between farmers and marketers are required.
2) It is important to propagate use of sanitary and dry storage facilities to avoid agri produce wastages
and thereby reducing the risks faced by the farmers.
3) Punjab should move ahead from agriculture to agri-business. The state needs to identify best
practices and benchmark the practices being followed in Punjab against these best practices.
4) Punjab should focus on mechanization of agriculture sector to achieve higher production goals.
The session was closed with a vote of thanks to the panelists by Mr. Suresh Kumar.
X. Light Engineering and MSME sector in Punjab: Towards
Engineering Excellence
1. Opening Speech: Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries &
Commerce
Mr. Karan Avtar gave the introductory remarks and shared his views on three important points regarding
the Investors Summit:
Why the Summit? – Mr. Karan Avtar Singh mentioned that the Summit is being held not just to attract
investment but also because a lot of groundwork has been done by the Government to help businesses be
more competitive and to help them locate in Punjab. The businesses in Punjab were somehow not
projecting strongly enough that Punjab is indeed one of the best places in Asia for investment. The true
standing of Punjab as an investment destination needed to be projected, and hence, this was the right
moment to go and announce the same to the world.
Why at the Indian School of Business? – The Indian School of Business is a product of a vision which
started about a decade ago and Punjab is lucky to be home to the Indian School of Business (ISB). ISB is
keen to understand how it can help the industry to be more innovative and to be more creative in creating
new enterprises; ISB could act as a forum for the industry in Punjab where Venture Capitalists, Investors,
and other knowledgeable Industry members can come together to act as angels to new investors and also
help older units to move towards new technology.
The way forward – Mr. Singh mentioned that he would like inputs from the industry leaders on the way
forward and also get a view of the industry on the various policies of the Government.
2. Panel Discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Company
1 Mr. Yashovardhan Saboo Managing Director KDDL Ltd.
2 Mr. Upkar Singh Ahuja Managing Director New Swann Group
3 Mr. Mahesh Munjal Managing Director Majestic Auto Ltd.
4 Mr. Swaminathan Dandapani Chairman Manipal Hospitals
Mr. Yashovardhan Saboo moderated the session.
Brief introductions by the moderator
Karan Avtar Singh, Government of Punjab: Mr. Karan A Singh is a visionary for business and industry
with great exposure to international businesses.
Swaminathan Dandapani, Manipal Hospitals: Mr. Swami has rich and wide experience in BPOs and
engineering industries across the world.
Mahesh Munjal, Majestic Autos: Mr. Munjal heads the Majestic Auto business which is involved in
various diverse manufacturing activities.
Upkar Singh Ahuja, New Swann Group: The New Swann Group is involved in auto components and
precision instruments and has been a part of the industrial growth story of Punjab.
Yashovardhan Saboo, KDDL Ltd.: KDDL Ltd., more commonly known as Kamla Dials and Devices
Ltd., is in the field of precision engineering manufacturing watch components and is also present in the
service industry as a watch retail chain.
Panel Discussion
Mr. Upkar Singh Ahuja, Managing Director, New Swann Group, informed the audience that he has
been working in the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (MSME) Sector for the last 32 years
beginning from the shop floor. He added that Human Resource Development (HRD) is one of the most
important aspects in the MSME Sector. He mentioned that the MSME sector primarily consists of family
run businesses and is mainly present in Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Further, he remarked that HRD
is one of the weakest links for the MSME Sector and urged the government, the industry and the
associations to work hard to strengthen it.
He mentioned some key factors why MSME does not attract good quality manpower:
Unattractive salary packages
Lack of brand value
Lack of corporate culture
Mr. Ahuja remarked that to attract good quality manpower, the industry needs to work with educational
institutions and provide the students with hands-on training at factories and eventually absorb them in the
industries. He mentioned that the Skill Development Initiative (SDI) Scheme is a very good initiative by
the Government of Punjab to promote skill development.
Mr. Ahuja’s company has set up a vocational training centre with the help of Directorate General Of
Employment & Training, Ministry Of Labour and Employment, Government of India. The training centre
has courses related to the metal working industry. The Government is paying Rs.20 to 25 per hour for
providing this training and hence, it acts as a self-sustainable model with no extra cost to the company.
Mr. Ahuja urged the Government of Punjab to provide soft loans to those organizations which are
providing such trainings to help with the institutional costs for the training.
Mr. Mahesh Munjal, Managing Director, Majestic Auto Limited briefly spoke about the slowdown in
the economy highlighting the various highs and lows which the economy suffered over the past few years.
He highlighted some of the advantages of investing in Punjab:
Low involvement of unions in the functioning of the company
Easy availability of productive labor
Power surplus state
High percentage of educated population
Easy government clearances
Good law and order conditions
Mr. Munjal praised the new industrial policy of the Government of Punjab and highlighted how Punjab’s
location will act as an advantage to the industry.
Mr. Munjal stressed on the importance of Research & Development in the field of Light Engineering and
Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (MSME) and suggested that the industry in Punjab needs to
take a leaf from the books of European, Chinese and Taiwanese companies which spend a substantial
amount in Research & Development (R&D). The focus of R&D should be on Four P’s: Product, Process,
Packaging and Pricing. The Light Engineering and MSME Sector needs to innovate in terms of design
and development to compete with the world.
Mr. Swaminathan Dandapani, Chairman, Manipal Hospitals, initiated his speech by saying that Punjab
combines the strength of the agro and the engineering sector and that the ‘Micro, Small, and Medium
Scale Enterprises’ sector is truly the most relevant in the state of Punjab. He mentioned that 90% of
organizations worldwide which are productive and create value are small and medium enterprises. In
India, there are over 50 million people working for over 25 million small and medium enterprises. Small
and medium enterprises contribute almost 50% of India’s production and exports.
He gave an alternate definition of GDP and coined it as Growth, Differentiation and People. The mantra
of growth is PSPD: Profitability, Scalability, Predictability, De-Risking. He added that differentiation is
about constantly innovating in terms of people, process, technology, quality and product.
He termed the abbreviation SCAM as Social Media, Cloud, Analytics and Mobility, and suggested that
SCAM is going to affect all organizations and the ability to use these tools well will keep organization in
good stead in the future.
Mr. Swaminathan stressed that to differentiate; the right quality of people is required. He further
highlighted the abbreviation CLAP(T)S – Customer centricity, Low cost operations, Attention to detail,
Prompt response, Trust/Teamwork/Technology & Simplifying processes; and further suggested that to
attract the right quality of people, using these elements is necessary.
Mr. Yashovardhan Saboo, Managing Director, KDDL Ltd. wrapped up the session by stressing on the
fact that that excellence in quality is the hallmark for success. He further added that India has become
price competitive when compared to China. He mentioned that if product design is mastered, the costing
of the product becomes irrelevant. Lastly, he added that the takeaway from the discussion for the
Government and for all entrepreneurs is to invest in excellence by creating product design centers,
promoting vocational skills training and creating logistics systems. Employability is the key concern for
India which can be tackled by developing the manufacturing sector.
3. Q & A Session
A question was raised on how the Punjab Government can bridge the gap between Punjab and other
adjoining states on Excise Taxation; which is present due to disparity in the Excise Taxation policy of the
Government of India. Mr. Upkar Singh Ahuja replied by saying that the effect of this tax on the total cost
is minimal and that these taxes are levied by the Central Government and hence not under the purview of
the State.
Another question was raised about the China gameplan: Is China a benchmark, challenge or threat? Mr.
Yashovardhan Saboo responded that China is not a threat but a benchmark and that there is a lot of
learning from China for India in terms of efficiency, technology and training. Mr. Swaminathan added
that China has taken great advantage from the demographic dividend and that China should be treated as a
place to learn from by imbibing the best practices and global benchmarks.
A further question was raised about the implementation of the Single Window System and on about the
schemes for the existing industry in Punjab. Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal, Hon’ble Minister for Industries &
Commerce, responded by saying that an Investment Bureau has been set up for facilitation of industry and
would act as a “single room” for all clearances in a timely manner.
Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal, Hon’ble Minister for Industries & Commerce gave the closing remarks for
the session. He urged that China should be treated as a benchmark and pointed out that the industry has
done well in Punjab in spite of various problems faced by the State.
The concept of Single Room Clearance for the industry, which will have a Chief Executive Officer
assisted by other departmental officers, will exclusively track the applications of investors and the
process shall be time bound and in synchronization with the timelines defined for the clearances. The
Hon’ble Minister further stressed on the paramount importance of research for development of industry.
4. Recommendations
The main recommendations from the session were as follows:
1) To create a forum for industry to discuss and share ideas and innovation in the industry.
2) To create product design centers to promote innovation in the industry.
3) To develop the manufacturing sector to encourage employment in the region.
4) To focus on Research & Development to improve upon the design and cost factors.
5) To incentivize the industry to promote skill development.
6) To understand the importance of social media, cloud, analytics and mobility to the industry
XI. Focus Taiwan-Business opportunities with Taiwan
1. Opening presentation: Mr. Suresh Kumar, IAS, Financial Commissioner Development,
Government of Punjab
Mr. Suresh Kumar, IAS, Financial Commissioner Development, Government of Punjab commenced the
session and welcomed all the delegates. He introduced the distinguished panelists and briefed the
delegates about the objectives of summit, new policies, and incentives for investments in Punjab and the
opportunities for Taiwanese investors in Punjab.
He spoke about the similarities between Taiwan and Punjab which include a strong base in industries such
as food processing, agriculture and light engineering along with synergies between Punjab and Taiwan
with Punjab having a strong manufacturing base whereas Taiwan having an efficient technology in
hardware and electronic goods and a dynamic workforce.
Mr. Kumar spoke about the advantages that Punjab has, including strategic location, robust infrastructure,
skillful talent, ease of doing business, fiscal incentives, established Industrial clusters, connectivity to
markets and strong macro-economic indicators with stimulating business environment.
With regard to the incentives, Mr. Kumar elaborated that incentives offered by the State include no
property tax, no stamp duty on land registration, VAT retention, and single point clearances.
He further elaborated that there is 100% FDI in agri & food processing, single brand retail and
construction & housing while 74% FDI in telecom and 51% in multi brand retail.
These incentives along with a strong MSME base and good quality of life makes the state the most sought
after investment destination.
Further, Mr. Kumar touched upon the aspect that strong collaborative environment is available due to
various synergies. These include sectors like IT and Electronics where India has the edge in software
technology whereas Taiwan has a strong hardware base. Another sector is Infrastructure wherein Taiwan
has a strong technical knowhow and India has numerous pipeline projects especially in Punjab. Light
Engineering is another sector with strong synergies since Taiwan has a strong technical base and Punjab
has a vast manufacturing base.
Textiles is another sector with strong synergies where Taiwan is large exporter and Punjab have a strong
manufacturing base and clusters.
Mr. Kumar further elaborated on the future investment opportunities in various other sectors including
food processing, manufacturing of bicycle and auto parts, textiles and renewable resources.
Elaborating on each of these sectors he mentioned that along with food processing sub-sectors like cold
storage, warehousing, floriculture, post-harvest mechanization and development of agri machinery have
tremendous potential.
Further, Punjab is the largest manufacturer of bicycle parts in Ludhiana with a strong manufacturing base.
In Textiles the areas of opportunities include blended yarn production, readymade garments, and retail
chains.
In the renewable energy sector, there is a vast potential to setup small, micro and mini hydel plants in the
state. He further mentioned that 20 million tons of biomass produced from one crop of paddy goes
unutilized. He announced that the target production is 600 MW from biomass, 1000MW from solar and
600 MW from hydel power.
During his address, Mr. Kumar mentioned that Kirloskar has signed an MOU for solar pumps for the
agricultural sector. He informed that 98% land area in the state is irrigated. 27% of this area is irrigated
through canals and the rest73% water comes from ground. Punjab has a strong water distribution network
of 14,500 kms.
Other opportunities include BRTS, bio sciences, healthcare, urban infra, transport systems up gradation,
road network enhancement, skills and training. The state is aiming to achieve 24 hour water supply in the
next 3 years and there is a tremendous opportunity to invest in this sector.
Panel discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Organisation
1 Mr. C. L. Vee Vice Chairman Shinkong Synthetic fibre Corporation, Taipai
2 Mr. John. H. Lin Vice Chairman CTCI Corporation
3 Ms. Susan Wang Managing Director AFTA Technology Co. Ltd
4 Mr. Hur-Lon Lin CEO Green Energy Company, Titum Group
5 Mr. Kamal Oswal Advisor Industries, Punjab &
Head of Oswal Group & Nahar
Group
Oswal Group
Session was also attended by Shri Parmidner Singh Dhindsa, Hon’ble Finance Minister, Government of
Punjab, Mr. Roshan Sankaria, Principal Secretary Higher education and Ms. Alaknanda, MD of Punjab
Milkfed.
Brief introductions by the moderator and panelists:
Mr. C. L. Vee: Mr. Vee is the Vice Chairman of Shinkong Synthetic Fibre Corporation in Taipai. The
company began operations in May 1970. Continuous gradual expansion has led to three main factories in
Taiwan, boasting a total combined area of about 444,000 square meters, and producing 2075 tons of
polyester products per day. Additionally, the company also commands manufacturing sites in China and
Thailand. Shinkong Synthetic Fibers Corporation is specialized in the production of polyester fibers and
plastics. Products include textured filament yarn, POY, polyester staple fiber, industrial yarn, polyester
chips, PET bottle grade resin, PET bottles, PET preform, engineering polymer and its compounded
plastics, polyester film, optical grade films and A-PET sheet.
Mr. John. H. Lin: Mr. Lin serves as a Vice Chairman at CTCI Corporation. He assists the Chairman
and is co-responsible for planning and approving of all investment, major operation-management, and
corporate business development of short, middle and long-term strategy. He served as an Executive Vice
President, Senior Vice President and Vice President of CTCI Corporation. CTCI Corp. is the largest
integrated engineering and construction firm in Taiwan, with around 2000 employees. In the recent years,
the company has been striving to expand its engineering experience in refinery, petrochemical, general
industrial and power plant, even in environmental protection, energy and transportation throughout the
world.
Ms. Susan Wang: Ms. Wang serves as the Managing Director of AFTA Technology Co. Ltd. AFTA
Technology Co. Ltd. is located in Tainan, Taiwan. This company is working in industrial equipments,
electrical goods, air conditioning, mobile phone shops, phone accessories, car parts and accessories
business activities. AFTA Technology Co. Ltd. has more than 30 years of professional plastic technology
and marketing experience with more than 80 countries.
Mr. Hur-Lon Lin: Mr. Lin serves as the CEO of Green Energy Technology. He also serves as Senior
Vice President at Tatung Co., Ltd. Green Energy Technology (GET) is a leading manufacturer of
multicrystalline solar wafers based in Taiwan and China. GET was established in 2004 supported by one
of the largest groups in Taiwan TATUNG. Their main products, multicrystalline solar wafers with
different power outputs, are sold to solar cell and module manufacturers in major markets globally, such
as Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, India, Europe and United States. GET manufactures solar wafers from a
wide range of silicon raw materials, including polysilicon, and reclaimable silicon raw materials such as
scrap wafers, pot scrap and tops and tails of ingots sourced from suppliers and semiconductor
manufacturers.
Mr. Kamal Oswal: Mr. Oswal is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Nahar Group. He has
business experience of more than 30 years in the Industry. The Nahar Group, established in 1949, is
currently into manufacturing of woolen fabric, knitwear, garments, sugar, power and other products. It
has a group turnover in excess of Rs. 6000 Crores and more than 30,000 employees. The major group
companies include Oswal Woollen Mills Ltd., Nahar Spinning Mills Ltd., Nahar Industrial Enterprises
Ltd., Nahar Poly Films Ltd., Monte Carlo Fashions Ltd. and Nahar Capital & Financial Services Ltd. The
group has multi location plant facilities and diversified business with major presence in textiles as a
vertically integrated company (i.e manufacturing cotton yarn, cotton fabrics, denim fabrics, woolen yarn
and garments), retail business having pan India brands i.e. Monte Carlo, Canterburry.
Panel discussion
Mr. Lin initiated the panel presentations. He talked about the Taiwan economic culture in India and
synergies between the two countries.
Further, Mr. Lin shared his experience over last 2 days which includes his visit to Rock Garden and the
traditional cultural performance which helped him in understanding the tradition of Punjab. He thanked
Punjab for its hospitality. He said that the people of Punjab are proactive, hardworking, efficient and
similar to Taiwan. There is a huge scope for strengthening the business collaborations.
He informed the delegates about the Taiwan India business association which was established in February
2013. It is a non-Government and non-profitable organisation comprising of 80 members from company
enterprises, other agencies & individual. Its mission is to focus on business link between India and
Taiwan. He also introduced Mr. George Lin, Chairman of Taiwan India business association.
He also informed the delegates about the background of his world class Engineering & Construction
Company with revenue of 2 Bn USD. Its business segment covers Engineering & Construction
Infrastructure for power, water, transportation, industry, oil and petro chemicals.
He highlighted about the MOU with was signed with the Punjab Government the previous day. He also
said that he is expecting a one to one meeting with Punjab government to convert this Memorandum of
Understanding to Memorandum of Commitment.
Ms. Susan Wang, started her address informing the delegates about the importance of plastic in the
today’s scenario. She spoke about the initiative and support of Taiwan Government and the level of
commitment which Taiwan provides to its business partners.
She encouraged the audience that other than good quality, good servicing and good value of investment,
the Taiwanese like to do business with a smile.
She informed that Africa with 960 million populations will be a huge market potential for Punjab. Punjab
and Taiwan should collaborate to tap the African market.
Mr. Hur Lon Lin, shared a brief overview about his company which has been operating since last 95 years
and has several verticals like home appliances, energy saving division, wires, desktop computers etc. He
spoke about the future potential in saving energy through efficient lighting, and air conditioning systems.
He informed the delegates about the solar pumping system which the company is pursuing actively and
would like to collaborate with Punjab to improve irrigation. He talked about the importance of ground
water in Africa and showed his interest in collaborating with Punjab to tap the African market for the
similar innovation.
Mr. Kamal Oswal, spoke about the similarities which Taiwan and Punjab are sharing and collaboration
opportunities arising out of these similarities.
He spoke about the key areas in which Punjab would like to learn, specifically in the areas of electronics
and food processing.
He informed the delegates about the advantages of Punjab as an ideal place for investment including
strategic location, availability of skilled talent, stable political system and robust infrastructure. He shared
a brief overview about his group which has a presence in retail, textiles, and renewable energy. He
mentioned about his strong relationships with Punjab Government.
Mr. C. L. Vee, appreciated Government of Punjab to sponsor this mega event. He gave a brief description
about his company which was setup 60 years back and is one of the top 10 companies in Taiwan. He
talked about the problem of hiding global workforce in fear of insufficiency mainly in the labour intensive
textile industry in Taiwan.
He talked about the future opportunities existing in scientific textiles, mainly use of polyester in every day
electronics, plastics etc. He further shared that the Taiwanese have more than 40 years of experience in
this field and they are ready to share it with India. They are looking for new suppliers and partners to
develop business here and to increase work opportunities for people of Punjab.
He spoke about the initiatives taken by Taiwan in the last 20 years including assistance to China and
competing with markets like Hong Kong, Beijing etc. He further mentioned that the Punjab can consider
Taiwan as an entry point to other global markets such as China, Australia etc.
The audience was informed that CTPC bank, the only Taiwan bank based in Delhi & Mumbai, will
provide tremendous opportunities like commercial loans and commercial funding leverage to those
seeking to invest in Punjab.
2. Q&A Session
Mr. Suresh Kumar summarized the views of the panelists and started the question & answer session.
Dr. Gulshan Sharma, President of North India Management Association, spoke about the initiatives taken
by ASEAN in which 10 countries are sending 2 students for doing MBA in Punjab. It is a 2 year
programme started on 1st August, 2013, specializing in various fields namely tourism, hospitality, retail,
IT, banking insurance services. He offered the same initiative to Taiwan and welcomed their students to
attend this programme.
In conjunction, Mr. Lin from CTCI shared his experience in India. He talked about the initiative taken by
Taiwan National Chinkau University in 4 universities in Delhi to teach Chinese language. He mentioned
that learning the language would give a lot of business advantage to Indian students. On behalf of Taiwan,
he extended his support.
Mr. Sai from Shanghai Universal Investment Company showed his interest to invest in manufacturing of
solar panels, and to develop 50 MW with USD 70 Mn investments in India. He briefed about his
company DS Tech Ltd. which is a part of the universal group, founded in 1980s and having over 30 years
of manufacturing experience in hand tools. It is amongst the top 2 in Taiwan and top 10 in the world.
Universal group has 3 core business units namely handtools, hotels and manufacturing of solar panels
with USD 250 Mn company and 1000+ employees.
Mr. Ralan, Chairman of Indian Export textile industry spoke about the scope of investing in nut farming
in Punjab. He informed the delegates about the potential turnover of about 40000 Taiwan dollars with a
total investment of 10000 Taiwan dollars. He invited the Taiwan delegation to come to India for
manufacturing in collaboration with co-partners in order to leverage Punjab’s potential.
Dr. Dinesh Dua, from the pharmaceutical industry questioned whether Indian companies can look for
outsourcing opportunities and do technology transfer and tap lucrative opportunities on a joint venture
basis. Mr. Lin from CTCI responded that it is possible and requested to reach out to Taiwan India
Business Association office.
Mr. Kuljeet Singh Shetty, Executive director, Gladelectronics, mentioned about scope of manufacturing
power presses for sheet components in India. He suggested the Taiwan delegates to bring in this
technology in India. Mr. James responded that they are looking forward to setup a R&D joint research
venture for technology transfer.
Mr. Satain Yadav, an agri business professional, talked about an integrated ‘farm to fork’ model executed
in the State of Uttar Pradesh. He suggested the Taiwan delegates to replicate this model for investing in
Punjab.
3. Recommendations
1.) Solar pumping system for the Agri sector has a huge potential for collaboration between Taiwan
and Punjab.
2.) Huge potential for future opportunities exist in scientific textiles mainly the polyester used in
every day electronics, plastics etc.
3.) Punjab is an ideal place for investment which includes strategic location, availability of skilled
talent, stable political system and robust infrastructure.
4.) Punjab can consider Taiwan as an entry point to other global markets such as China, Australia etc
for achieving the similar status.
The session was closed with a vote of thanks to the panelists by Mr. Suresh Kumar. He concluded
his speech by pledging to support the Taiwanese delegation for successful collaboration and he
exchanged mementos with the panelists.
XII. Textiles sector in Punjab: From Fibre 2 Fashion
1. Opening Remarks: Mr. Vikas Pratap, IAS, Director, Department of Industries & Commerce,
Government of Punjab
Mr. Vikas Pratap commenced the session by welcoming all the delegates. He introduced the panelists and
gave brief introductory remark on the importance of textiles in Punjab. Punjab is the 2nd
largest cotton and
blended yarn producer in India, accounting for 14 percent of India’s total production. The new package
of fiscal incentives provided by the Government of Punjab includes incentives such as retention of 90% of
VAT by the companies.
2. Panel discussion
Participants:
Mr. Rajinder Gupta moderated the session.
Mr. Kamal Oswal initiated the panel presentations. He spoke about the importance of textile sector in
India, which is second only to China in terms of spinning capacity and is a major employer in the country.
According to Mr. Oswal the three major advantages that Punjab possesses in the textile sector are:
Strong and diverse raw material base
Presence of strong entrepreneurial skills
Large domestic market: 15 to 20 percent growth in domestic consumption
Punjab has one of the highest spinning capacities in India with Ludhiana having nearly 95% of India’s
small scale hosieries manufacturing units. He praised the Government of Punjab for the new package of
incentives which provides VAT retention and other incentives.
He further highlighted the need to invest in production of value added products such as denim and
garments. He suggested that the industry should move to rural areas to meet labor demands and provide
more employment opportunities to women.
Mr. D L Sharma spoke about the evolution of the textile sector in Punjab. He mentioned that Ludhiana
has the biggest garment industry in the region. Currently the textiles sector in Punjab:
Provides 26% of the total employment
Contributes to over 45% of the state’s exports
Is present across the value chain from manufacturing of fiber to spinning, dyeing and retail
Name Designation Organisation
1 Mr. Rajinder Gupta Chairman Trident Group
2 Mr. Kamal Oswal Vice Chairman Nahar International Group
3 Mr. Ness Wadia Managing Director Bombay Burmah Trading Co.
4 Mr. D.L Sharma Managing Director Vardhman Group
5 Mr. Amar Choudhry Head- Corporate Strategy Arvind Ltd.
6 Mr. S.S Arora CEO Rainbow Denim
Punjab has over 125 large spinning mills with over 3 million spindles. The textiles sector in Punjab has
attracted investment of more than INR 14,000 crore. Major international design houses source their value
added products from Ludhiana’s knitwear cluster. Punjab is also an attractive domestic market for textiles
with a demand of over INR 7,000 crore per year.
Mr. Sharma appreciated the introduction of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and
how it has helped in training local population and in lowering dependency on the migrant labor. He spoke
about Vardhman’s sewing thread business which has grown from INR 10 crore in 1985 to INR 600 crore.
Mr. Amar Choudhary highlighted that India is the largest producer of cotton fiber. He mentioned that
India is not performing well globally in the fabric and garment market. In recent times China has become
less competitive in terms of cost and India should take advantage of this opportunity. He is optimistic
about the textiles sector as cost and currency movements are working in its favor.
He stated that investing in Punjab has the following advantages:
Presence of raw material like fiber
Good political environment
Abundant power supply
Introduction of new fiscal incentives by the government
Mr. Choudhary discussed the importance of skilled labor in the textiles sector. He suggested a dormitory
model, similar to the one that is implemented in China, should be setup in Punjab to attract migrant labor.
He mentioned that it is important to invest in the value added segment for long term growth as the prices
are relatively inelastic and the manufacturer has greater control over the value chain.
Mr. Ness Wadia began his address by talking about Bombay Dyeing and its retail outlets in India. The
company is focused on the domestic market and has over 300 plus retail stores in India. In Punjab,
Bombay Dyeing has over 20 retail stores and hopes to create a one stop shop for home decorations.
New opportunities have opened up in the Indian textiles market due to increasing brand awareness and
larger retail space. He stressed on providing good quality products and manufacturer should focus on
consumer preferences and demand.
Mr. S S Arora highlighted the lack of growth in the technical textiles sector. He sees technical textiles as
an important business opportunity.
3. Q & A Session
Mr. Bagrodia from Winsome Textiles Industries Ltd. raised a question on the steps undertaken by the
Government for setting up of effluent treatment plants. Mr. Vikas Pratap, IAS, Director (Industries &
Commerce) responded by informing him about two common effluent treatment plants that are being set
up near Tajpur road, Ludhiana. The Government of Punjab has requested for funding from the
Government of India for setting up more treatment plants.
Mr. D L Sharma suggested that if irrigation discharge standards are met, the discharged water can be used
for irrigation purposes.
Mr. Amarjit Lakra from Super Fine Knitters raised questions on the capacity of the processing industry
and on the shortage of migratory labor. He suggested that setting up of the Common Effluent Treatment
Plant (CETP) should be a time bound program and should be addressed by the New Industrial Policy.
Mr. Amar Choudhry suggested that a top- down percolation of the benefits from the government could
solve the problem with the processing industry. To address the shortage of migratory labor, he suggested
that working women’s hostels could be setup on cost sharing basis.
Mr. K S Brar, Joint Director, Industries & Commerce asked about the reasons for lack of major design
houses in Punjab. Being the final frontier of high end fashion garments, he suggested that the major
industrialists should take up the challenge and establish design houses in the State. Institutes such as
NIIFT, Mohali can play an integral role for providing the necessary skills.
4. Recommendations
1. Various delegates raised the issue of technical textiles, which has wide range of uses from construction
to medical industry. They requested the government to encourage Research & Development in this field.
2. To attract migrant labor and address the labor shortage problem, hostel
facilities can be provided
3. Setting up of Common Effluent Treatment Plant should be time bound and
can be done with the help of private players
4. A delegate from Brand KS New York suggested that the Indian textiles
sector needs to be more innovative and transparent
Mr. Rajinder Gupta wrapped up by highlighting the growth of Indian textiles sector. With increasing
brand awareness, the Indian market is maturing and moving towards the western markets. He shared his
company’s success story and stressed on various aspects like quality and innovation.
Mr. Vikas Pratap, IAS, closed the session with a vote of thanks to all the delegates for providing
their valuable inputs.
XIII. Skills sector in Punjab: Skilling for Inclusive Growth
1. Opening presentation: Mr. AR Talwar, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Technical
Education, Government of Punjab
Mr. Talwar welcomed the panelists and audience for the discussion and stated that the theme “Skilling for
Inclusive Growth” is very close to the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s heart especially with respect to skill
development and employment generation in rural areas. He gave a presentation on the vision of skill
development in Punjab, the current ecosystem, challenges to be addressed as well opportunities for
investment in the sector.
2. MoUs exchanged
1) Skill Development Academy with Trident Group and Government of Punjab
2) Skill Development Academy with Tata Group and Government of Punjab
3. Panel discussion
Participants:
Name Designation Organisation
1 Mr. JP Rai Director General National Skill Development Agency, Government of India
2 Dr. Mohandas Pai Chairman Manipal University
3 Mr. HN Shrinivas VP- Human Resources Taj Group of Hotels
4 Mr. Atul Bhatnagar COO National Skill Development Corporation
5 Mr. Arunkumar Pillai COO IL&FS Skills
6. Dr Subash Bijlani Professor University of Maryland, University College, USA
Mr. JP Rai moderated the session.
Brief introductions by the moderator and panelists:
Mr. JP Rai: The National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) came into being in June 2013 and is
notified by the Government of India as the entity that subsumes 3 previous entities- Prime Ministers
National Council on Skill Development, National Skill Development Coordination Board and Office of
the Advisor to the Prime Minister. The mandate of NSDA is to have 50 crore skilled young people
available in order to derive economic dividend out of every young person in the country.
Dr Mohandas Pai: The Manipal Group runs seven universities- three in India and four abroad with
50,000 students globally. It produces 1,700 doctors a year which is the largest for any university system
in the world. It has a skill development company called Manipal City and Guilds with a capacity to train
20,000 people a year.
Mr. H.N. Shrinivas: Besides his assignment with the Taj Group of Hotels, Mr. Shrinivas heads a steering
committee set up by the Tata Group to address the skill development initiative and the vision of the
present Chairman. The Group aims to build capacity to train 1 million people in the country in the next 10
years under an independent program called Tata Strive.
Mr. Atul Bhatnagar: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a Public-Private enterprise
with the government owning 49% equity. The vision of NSDC is to skill 150 million people in next 10
years. NSDC funds private enterprise which will train 50,000 individuals in the next 10 years with 70%
employability. Further, it works to enable an ecosystem for skilling with quality by creating sector skill
councils and addressing state requirements.
Mr. Subash Bijlani: Dr. Bijlani is a professor at the University of Maryland, University College USA
which has 100,000 enrolments. Dr. Bijlani has been involved with Skill Development in Punjab for over
25 years. He has been past chairman of CII (Northern Region) and has chaired their National Committees
on Technology, Capital Goods and International Trade.
Mr. Arunkumar Pillai: Mr. Pillai heads skill development in the IL&FS Group. IL&FS Group is
involved in development of infrastructure, financial services and social infrastructure. IL&FS Skills is a
joint venture with National Skills Development Corporation. The mandate is to train over 2 million
people in the next 10 years and set up 100 skill development centres. The group has set up 37 centres with
2 centres in Punjab – at Barnala and Ludhiana in partnership with the Trident Group. It has trained 2.5 lac
people and placed them through placement linked programs. IL&FS Skills is also involved in skill
upgradation, government functionary training, training of trainers and skill development in schools. They
have a capacity to train 100,000 individuals every year.
Panel discussion
Mr. JP Rai re-iterated the theme of the session “Skilling Punjab for inclusive growth” and pointed
out the gross enrolment ratio in higher education in Punjab is around 19-24%. The gross enrolment
ratio indicates that more than 75% of the youth are not enrolling in higher education institutes.
Keeping this in mind, he raised a question on efforts made to identify and meet aspiration levels.
Further, he asked how we could handle opportunities to meet needs of large economies.
Dr. Mohandas Pai addressed these questions. He stressed on the importance of skills and higher education
in the economic development of the state as well as in removing social evils such as poverty. The main
challenge in skill development is difference in demand and supply of skill sets which has led to widening
of the skill gap. Dr. Pai highlighted the steps that Punjab needs to take for skill development.
Firstly, Punjab should look ahead at what kind of economy it wants to be by 2030 giving 5-year targets.
For example, if one looks at the composition of GDP in Punjab- 48% comes from services, but for India
the contribution of services to GDP is 60%. Punjab needs to look at the kind of industries it needs to
attract and based on their requirements develop a skill map for the state. Secondly, there is a need to have
a policy to incentivize labor. The state needs assess the employment requirement of industries over the
next 3-4 years and give them a training grant for development of required skills. Thirdly, there is a need
to look at the rest of India as a market for youth. India is a 2 trillion economy today and by 2032, it will
be a 10 trillion dollar economy. There is a need to assess the sectors and industries which would fuel this
growth and develop skills to provide ready talent for these industries.
The next step is to assess the skill requirements globally and develop Punjab as a global source of talent.
The demographic change around the world with respect to ageing of population provides opportunities for
Punjab to act as a global source of talent. Punjab can leverage it’s connect with NRI Punjabis as they can
provide linkages to global markets. He also gave an example of how Bangalore has invested in its people
and created high quality jobs.
Mr. JP Rai initiated a discussion on creation of a sustainable model which involves industry, skilled
workforce and the government and requested Mr. Shrinivas to elaborate on issues on creation of
this sustainable model.
Mr. Shrinivas commended the Punjab Government for taking initiative to address issues through this
platform. He has signed an agreement to set up a skills academy at Ropar with the Government of Punjab
and is also looking to tie up with more Industrial Training Institutes to expand activities of the academy
and targets to train 5000 youth in industry relevant employable skills. Regarding issues in the sector, he
clearly noted the absence of matured ecosystem for skill development like that in China, Germany,
England and US. Mobilization efforts that are required to attract people into relevant skills are inadequate.
Moreover, certification and accreditation of skills at different levels are yet to mature. There is a need to
be able to define sustainable models and build quality into the system in terms of curriculum development
efforts, define training methods, practical training and on the job training. He gave an example of China
where an ecosystem has been made with over 300,000 skill development centers. Their systems are
monitored, strengthened and evaluated for performance. He concluded by stating that his group aims to
imbibe such practices through the Ropar academy and expand to remaining parts of Punjab as well.
Mr. Rai asked Mr. Arunkumar Pillai to further elaborate on the issue related to the lack of an
ecosystem.
Mr. Pillai recalled the three different trends that existed when skill development picked up 2006- ITI
training, private sector training in IT and industry in-house training. These were parallel trends not talking
to each other. During 2007-2013 these are talking to each other with PPP models coming up. However,
the right mix is lacking with respect to definition of roles. He emphasized on the “quality at scale” aspect.
An ecosystem is steadily evolving but one needs to focus on aspects such as infrastructure, placements
and training methods. Also there is a need to focus on the youth as their aspirations are changing. For
instance, today the link between the academic and vocational system is not there, tomorrow when we
build these linkages and the vocational system integrates into the formal system, there will be much more
pride in being a part of certain trades. At this point the focus should be to get the PPP models right.
Mr. JP Rai raised another issue on the lack of training capacities as well as a paradoxical situation
on underutilization of capacities. He emphasized on the challenges of mobilizing candidates and
raised a question on how to tackle these issues related to mobilization.
Mr. Atul Bhatnagar addressed this question and stated that NSDC has done skill gap studies at district
level including studies for Punjab. These give an indication of youth aspirations and skill gaps by district.
For an entrepreneur in Punjab, these studies provide a good starting point. In terms of mobilization, a
scheme called STAR (Standards, Training, Assessment and Reward) has been initiated by the
Government. Under this scheme, anyone who undertakes a skilling program from September 2013 will
receive a reward of Rs 10,000 from the Government of India. The programs also go through an
assessment done by sector skill councils set up by NSDC comprising industry leaders who form job roles,
national occupational standards comprising curriculums against which the assessment happens. This leads
to high skill quotients and industry ready talent. In Punjab, the agricultural skill council has defined roles
for the farmers who are essentially entrepreneurs. This initiative is an important step towards achieving
mobilization of skills.
Mr. Rai indicated that the Sector Skill Councils are defining the number of people needed, different
skill sets needed in each category and how they ought to be trained and certified. In this regard, he
raised the question on how the quality issue may be addressed in order to convert employability to
employment.
Dr. Subash Bijlani emphasized that our higher education system has been in place for the last 66 years but
not even one higher education institute figures in the top 200 global list. Despite our efforts in training
and industry involvement, India still hasn’t achieved quality in the true sense. He commended the
Hon’ble Chief Minister’s passion towards skill development. He pointed out that most benchmarking
between skills institutes is done based on historical performance or among national players while the
industries are benchmarked internationally thereby creating a dichotomy. Another important issue being
faced is the quality of accreditation. Moreover, employability is not the criteria for quality of output of an
institute as often industry employs from institutes knowing that they are not adequate and thereby leading
to duplication of effort and resources to re-train these individuals. He concluded by bringing to attention
that Punjab was a leading state in the sector and had signed the first industry association MoU in 1989.
He emphasized on the need to refocus efforts in attracting investors by not limiting reach to Punjabi
origin individuals. He outlined his vision for Punjab where Punjab attracts higher education institutes as
the enterprising nature of Punjabi youth is unmatched. Notwithstanding, he concluded that attention to
quality is very important in order to achieve the goals with respect to skill development in Punjab.
4. Q&A Session
A question was raised with respect to dearth of skilled workforce in the MSME sector. MSME sector is
dependent on migrant labor as youth prefer to work in big corporate. Mr. JP Rai addressed this question
by mentioning that the sector skill councils do tend to be dominated by large corporates. He pointed out
that the Government of India has a provision for 150% tax deduction for training expenses undertaken by
the industry. Moreover, he believes that training grants may not give enough incentive to individuals to
move their base.
Another question was raised with respect to the stress on services rather than products and the lack of
focus on new technologies by colleges. Dr. Pai mentioned that this is due to the lack of dialogue between
academia and industry. He brought the example of Infosys’ training program called ‘Campus Connect’
where 500 engineering colleges worked with them to develop their curriculum. He also highlighted the
issue of resistance to change by the faculty of the institutes and the need to provide incentives to them to
take up new methods.
A further question was raised on the subject of going one step below the skill centres to the higher
education system. Dr. Pai mentioned that higher education needs to move from the monologue system
towards a more project based pedagogue. He brought in the concept of a “flipped classroom” where the
lecture is in the form of a video which the students watch before coming to the classroom. The lecture
time is used for discussion and problem solving.
Recommendations
1) The need to assess the skill requirements of the state in terms of 5-year targets and formulate skill
maps accordingly
2) Focus on Public- Private Partnership models, define clear roles of all parties involved and move
towards a sustainable and dynamic model.
3) Incentivize industry to focus on investment in individuals rather than capital
4) Attention to quality of skilling and benchmark globally
5) Incentivize higher education faculty to develop project based curriculums and teaching methods
The session was closed with a vote of thanks by Mr. B Purushartha, IAS, Director Technical
Education.
XIV. Valedictory Session Proceedings
1. Introduction by Dr. Iqbal Judge, Associate Professor, Government
College for Girls, Punjab University
Dr. Iqbal marked the conclusion of Punjab’s International Conclave. He pointed out that the past two days
had witnessed pioneers of industry showing strong interest in investing in diverse fields such as
healthcare, infrastructure, food processing, IT and light engineering. Also, expert advice and numerous
suggestions were welcomed during the technical sessions.
2. Members on dais
Name Designation Organisation
1 Shri Parkash Singh Badal Hon’ble Chief Minister Government of Punjab
2 Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister Government of Punjab
3 Dr. Karan Avtar Singh Principal Secretary to Government of
Punjab, Department of Industries and
Commerce
Government of Punjab
4 Mr. Rajinder Gupta Chairman Trident Group
5 Mr. Kamal Oswal Vice Chairman and Managing Director Nahar International
6 Mr. Vineet Nayyar CEO, Vice Chairman and
Managing Director
Tech Mahindra
7 Mr. Kurush Grant Divisional Chief Executive Director ITC
8 Mr. Ness Wadia Managing Director Bombay Burmah Trading Corp
9 Dr. Ajit Rangnekar Dean Indian School of Business
3. Report of proceedings by Dr. Karan Avtar Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Industries and
Commerce, Government of Punjab
Dr. Singh summarized the eight technical sessions that had been held in the two days of the summit.
Session 1: Housing, Infrastructure and Renewable Energy
Key recommendations included that infrastructure planning in the State should be done on a long term
basis and that the regulatory environment should be improved significantly so as to unleash potential for
investment in Punjab especially in Real Estate and Power. With respect to power, three bottlenecks- were
identified: fuel supply, land acquisition and long term financing. With respect to fuel supply and land
acquisition, efforts have been taken by the government with a fair degree of success.
Session 2: Biosciences and Healthcare
The biosciences industry in Punjab can develop rapidly due to the existing skill base and national and
international level skill institutes present, especially in and around Mohali. Key recommendations
included setting up of a Mohali Biosciences and a Biotech Cluster. Also, the state should focus on APIs
and Biosimilars which are generic drugs for which patents have expired due to huge demand worldwide
and export potential. Moreover, there should be focus on lifestyle diseases and early detection for diseases
such as diabetes and cancer. Also, counseling centers for these diseases should be set up.
Session 3: Information Technology
The main recommendations centered around three areas- Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing;
IT enabled Services and Mobile Phones. The State Government should look at attracting investments in
Electronics Systems Design and Manufacturing and especially in mobile phones. India is one of the
largest importers of electronics equipment including mobile phones and that need not be the case in the
future. Punjab has reached out to major manufacturers in the world and also reached out to countries
especially in East Asia who are world leaders in manufacturing of electronic systems. In ITeS,
suggestions included moving up the value chain so Punjab can become a destination not only for software
service centers but create a cluster of software development companies. The promotion of innovation and
new enterprises was emphasized.
Session 4: Agro and Food Processing
The session saw a positive response to the newly announced fiscal incentives. The key suggestions
centered on diversification of agriculture and attention to supply chain management & logistics systems,
both in Punjab and in India. The State should be agnostic about the source and technology of this
investment – whether through direct investment or through local entrepreneurs.
Session 5: Light Engineering
It was discussed that MSMEs are the backbone of the light engineering sector/industry in Punjab. It must
be recognized that all industries- whether small or big- need to be globally competitive. There is a need to
be more proactive and benchmark practices, processes, designs and products with the best in the world in
order to truly add value.
Session 6: Focus Taiwan
The session covered a wide range of manufacturing and hi-tech sectors including electronics systems,
electronics systems design, renewable energy, construction and engineering design. It was discussed that
the cooperation between Taiwan and Punjab will go a long way and Punjab could be a gateway for
Taiwan to the rest of India.
Session 7: Textiles
Textiles is one of the strengths of Punjab and the State will continue to be a major exporter and supplier
with respect to entire value chain- right from raw material to finished garments. The suggestions put
forward during this session included enhancing of fiscal incentives considering the sector is a major
employer in the state. Secondly, value addition in fields such as fashion, technology and education.
Session 8: Skills
The session was well-attended by industry and academia representatives. The main recommendations
were centered on public-private partnerships and the panel suggested that it was the right way to go
forward in the sector.
4. Remarks by members on dais
Mr. Rajinder Gupta
Progressive Punjab and the showcase of opportunities in Punjab has been a game-changer for the state.
Mr. Gupta expressed his affinity towards the state and humbly exclaimed that he owes his success to the
State of Punjab. Punjab has created many entrepreneurs-the Oswals, the Bhartis, the Munjals and the
Mahindras, to name a few. This has been possible due to the favorable environment for business and
enterprise. He stressed on his own experience assuring that in Punjab, one can be what one desires and
further reiterated Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister’s words in the inaugural address - Think BIG achieve
BIG.
Mr. Kamal Oswal
Mr. Oswal expressed that the industrial climate and vision of Punjab has undergone a sea change in recent
years under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Chief Minister and Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister.
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister has delivered what he has promised during his first term – Power Surplus
Punjab. Punjab, considered a food producing state, is now focusing on industrialization with an
aggressive campaign through which leading industrialists have shown their commitments. One of the
most important considerations for investors is a stable political environment where policy decisions are
quickly taken. Punjab is one of the few states having a stable political environment and playing the role of
a facilitator rather than a regulator. The Nahar group has a total turnover of more than INR 6000 crores
with pan-India presence in fields of textiles, retail, renewable energy and sugar. 70% of the Group’s
business investments are in Punjab and it employs more than 30,000 employees making it the largest
employer in Punjab. 100% of Monte Carlo products are manufactured in Punjab. One of the major plus
points of Punjab is the excellent industrial climate- in the last 65 years, Nahar has never seen any
industrial unrest. One of most important steps taken by the state is setting up of the Punjab Bureau of
Investment Promotion (PBIP), the CEO of which is vested with powers to give regulatory approvals. Mr.
Oswal concluded by stating that the Nahar Group is committed to invest INR 1500 crore in developing
industrial parks and additional INR 300 crore in the textile industry.
Mr. Vineet Nayyar
Mr. Nayyar expressed his affinity to the State and stressed on the entrepreneurial talent among Punjabis.
He embarked the issue of the lack of an enabling environment with obstacles relating to the regulatory
system and lack of focus on skill creation. This has had an impact on GNP but a much bigger impact on
employment. Another distortion has been in the technology sector, which is growing but is manned by
people from middle-class or upper middle class who have access to the best of education, whereby
ignoring the rural population. In this regard, he appreciated the initiative by the State as it refocuses on
industrialization and creates an inviting environment. He mentioned that Tech Mahindra already operates
in Chandigarh in the IT domain but expressed that there is a need to focus on skill development to create
capabilities especially in the rural areas. He concluded by assuring to pursue this commitment.
Mr. Kurush Grant
Mr. Grant began his address by asserting that the last two days have led to a change in the attitude of the
Indian industry into re-believing Punjab as a growth story and as an excellent place to invest in. The new
industrial policy recently announced is clearly a progressive one and it is up to industry to implement the
same. He reiterated Hon’ble Chief Minister’s inaugural address stating that mere MoUs should not
suffice, and must be converted into actual investments. ITC is very keen on agro development and he
proposed to set up a very large agro network in Punjab, not only in conversion but in sourcing of agri
commodities. ITC already has a strong presence in the state: most potatoes in Punjab come from ITC’s
seedlings and most Poplar trees are sourced from ITC’s transplants. He believes that long-term agro
forestry is the future for agricultural progress and growth across the country. He further remarked that
industrial progress cannot happen without inclusive growth and promised that ITC’s contribution is going
to be inclusive and sustainable. One of the issues identified is that while infrastructure is excellent, there
is a need to increase freedom of transportation in the state to operate in a far more flexible manner and to
ensure that world class transport operators and logistics service providers come into the state. He
concluded by wishing the state the best in its endeavors.
Mr. Ness Wadia
The Wadia Group has been involved with Bombay Dyeing, Britannia, Bombay Burmah, GoAir and Kings
XI. Their association with Punjab has been for decades and he was happy to see how progressive Punjab
has been in terms of roads, infrastructure, the culture and the people. He pointed out that Punjab is known
for being forward looking and has been a leader not only in India but also abroad. He further applauded
the state for putting together the Indian School of Business with respect to the Government being the
conduit for business education.
Dr. Ajit Rangnekar
Mr. Rangnekar began his address on a thank you note for choosing the ISB campus as the venue for the
Summit. He recited the instance of setting up of the campus which was completed in the promised
timeline as an example of Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister’s quality to stick to his commitments. He
stressed on the theory of “mega regions” which contribute 2/3rd
of the world’s GDP and 80% of the
world’s innovation as measured by patents, giving examples of the Silicon Valley, Boston to NY belt, the
NCR, Mumbai-Pune and Bangalore – Mysore- Chennai. He expressed that there is a large opportunity to
make Punjab another mega region which fuels growth of the nation if the government, industry, academia
and civil society work together. He aptly put together the concept of five new rivers that will make this
land industrially fertile- infrastructure, fiscal incentives, human power, governance and law and order,
and social infrastructure. He went on to say that any important region will attract the best talent from the
world and we cannot just rely on our own local capabilities. We must be able to attract the best talent in
the world, which will look for the best schools, healthcare, best entertainment, food and other things. A
number of new companies have signed up- which is a step in the right direction. He expressed that five
years from now; he would like to see the hall filled with not just people from other states, but from other
countries who will come to Punjab to learn from its success.
5. Exchange of MoUs
1.) Omaxe Ltd
2.) Shipra Estates
3.) Atius Space Builders
4.) Janta Land promoters
5.) TDI Infratech
6.) Bajwa Developers
7.) Gilco Developers
8.) Manohar Infrastructure
9.) A3G Infra
10.) Innovative Housing and Infrastructure
11.) Fortune Group
12.) Bestech India
13.) ATS Infra Ltd
14.) Shivalik Site Planner
15.) Jags Palazzo
16.) Amity University
17.) Ritesh Properties
18.) Monarque
19.) Tayal Technologies
20.) Mahindra Group
21.) VIR foods
22.) Indian Potatoes Ltd
23.) Chanakya Dairy Products
24.) Agro foods ltd
25.) Modern overseas
26.) Frigeria conserva Allana
27.) S&S Corporation
28.) Davinder Singh Grewal
29.) Anandum Agrotech
30.) Jag’s Palazzo
6. One-on-one meetings recap by Dr. Karan Avtar Singh
Dr. Singh briefed the audience on the series of meetings held between the various business leaders and the
Hon’ble Chief Minister, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Secretary. He stated that all these
leaders expressed serious interest and commitment towards investment in the State.
Some of the key meetings held were with Arcelor- Mittal, Bharti, ITC, Infosys, Cargill, Coca Cola,
Adlabs, Videocon, Manipal University, Aditya Birla Group, Merck, Kirloskar, Italian delegation, Tech
Mahindra, Kuantam Papers and delegations from Italy and Taiwan.
7. Address by Hon’ble Minister for Industries and Commerce, Sh. Madan Mohan Mittal
Mr. Mittal expressed his thanks to Mr. Ajit Rangnekar from ISB for providing the venue for holding the
Summit. He also thanked all the delegates and the members of the organizing committee for making this
Summit a success.
He remarked that all promises made by various industry members during the road-shows have been
fulfilled at the Summit, which is reflective of the success of the Summit. He added that now the onus will
be on the Department of Industries and Commerce to carry forward the good work done during the
Summit. Also, he congratulated the Chief Secretary of Punjab for successfully carrying out all the
responsibilities.
He further added that 97% of traders in Punjab have been exempted from keeping account books as all
taxes will be deducted at source from January and further emphasized the importance of the Single
Window Clearance initiative by the Government of Punjab.
In the end, reflecting Punjab’s heritage and hospitality, he urged everyone to visit the beautifully designed
Khalsa Heritage Centre in the holy land of Anandpur Sahib.
8. Keynote address- Prakash Singh Badal
After a welcome note, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Punjab reinstated the success of the Summit through
the positive publicity in the press and gave due credit to Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister. He further
mentioned that he felt enlightened through his meetings with different industry groups and delegations in
spite of his long experience in the administration and also welcomed their suggestions.
He expressed that India has a lot to offer with respect to hard working people, raw material for industry,
power and the best agricultural land. He further raised the concern on the fact that despite being gifted,
economic progress is still not up to the mark and recommended a change in the Centre-State relationship
system with respect to autonomy.
He further stressed on the importance of one-on-one meetings with industrial groups for detailed
discussions with deputed officers. This Summit has enhanced position of Punjab in the country and he
lauded the success of the Summit evident through the interest shown by leading industries in signing
investment MoUs of over INR 65,000 crore. He expressed his confidence in commitment of investors and
also assured commitment towards the Government’s promises.
He concluded by congratulating the State on the success of the Summit.
9. Valedictory address: Shri. Sukhbir Singh Badal
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister thanked the participants for sparing time to attend the summit. He began
by stating that his belief in the policy of “setting your house in order before stepping out”. The summit
has been held only after Punjab has become ready with everything rather than with promises to act in the
future. He thanked the State and partners to the Summit who completed the task of organizing a summit
of this scale in a short timeline of three months. He remarked that the presence of industry leaders shows
encouragement but also gives the State a lot of work to be done. He mentioned that gaining and
maintaining credibility is the key factor to be kept in mind for the state.
He revealed that 117 companies with total investment of more than INR 65,000 crore have signed MoUs.
He further assured the audience that the state will work day and night to convert these MoUs into reality
and also revealed the dates of the next summit as Dec 9-10, 2014.
He concluded by reiterating that the government will continue to work towards making Punjab the
preferred investment destination not only in India but in the world.
10. Vote of thanks and closing by Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, IAS
XV. Learning Points
The officials from Government of Punjab, team members from KPMG and other private partners
displayed commitment in successfully delivering on a large scale investment summit and accomplishing it
in a record timeline of 3 months wherein other states spend preparatory lead time of 12-18 months. The
preparation to the summit saw active participation from the highest political and bureaucratic level
including Deputy Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, and Principal Secretary Industries. The senior
government officials also interacted with various companies in three domestic and one international
roadshow to create awareness about Progressive Punjab Investors Summit. From the roadshows to the
recording of the session proceedings, team members from KPMG were assigned to sector specific
committees and given individual responsibilities to deliver for their respective sector.
The event, which was first of its kind for the state of Punjab was hosted at Indian School of Business
(ISB), Mohali Campus which is an internationally reputed business school. The interactive sessions
provided an opportunity for investors to interact with the government officials and policy makers from
different departments and top industrialists in India.
Going forward, for future summits, a clear strategy along with dedicated project management should be
followed with pre-defined responsibilities and accountabilities entrusted to various stakeholders.
Some recommendations and potential areas of improvement are as follows:
Investor concerns should be taken into account and should be pro-actively mitigated
Highlight steps taken by Government of Punjab to promote business after the Investors Summit
More one to one meetings and roadshows to be organized as they left a very favorable impression on
the investors as helped in spreading awareness about the summit
Due to its large scope in Punjab, a session on “MSME and Entrepreneurship” is also needed
More information about schemes being run by central, state and international agencies should be
available for investors
Storyboarding, drafting the structure and obtaining buy-in from all stakeholders for the knowledge
content is required before detailing the document. A single point of approval should be defined for
various deliverables like sector specific contents of collaterals, presentations, session briefs etc.
Maintaining a single point of contact, especially in MoU follow ups, for data collection to reduce
duplication of work. Concerned departments should keep all stakeholders in loop and should be made
responsible and accountable for rigorous and regular follows ups.
Training liaison officers well in advance on interfacing with the investors would enable them to
coordinate effectively. The Liaison officers should have a basic know-how of the sector/industry
which the person with whom he is attached.
Since interaction with investors is mostly through email, government personnel should use official
email ids and investor queries should be responded promptly.
Computerization of registration kiosk during the event is needed to enable quick follow up and
maintain database for future interactions.
Finalizing the annual calendar for domestic and international participatory/hosting events including
level of participation for key events
Information disbursal (including session details, logistics etc.) to panelists and participants with a
higher lead time to ensure better participation and fewer dropouts
Disbursement of category wise event passes in a more planned and coordinated manner
Onboarding of other partners (event, institutional, media, IT etc.) need adequate lead time. This
includes clearly defined KRA’s which are mutually exclusive amongst each partner.
Dedicated time for the media needs to be set aside prior to facilitate relationship building