Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 17 (ANI): Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said that his government is not against corporates but there has to be a regulation to protect the interest of farmers.
“We are not against corporates but there has to be a regulation to protect the farmers and the long-standing relationship they have with the arhtiyas,” he said.
Any attempt to do away with this system will not work, he asserted, adding that his government had brought in bills in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to negate the impact of the central farm laws and had also taken up the issue with the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.
“We have to ensure food security, what is plenty today may not be there tomorrow,” he pointed out, adding that while India was currently exporting wheat it did not mean that the surplus foodgrains will remain forever.
The country has to keep its reserves, he said at the virtual inaugural session of the USA-Punjab Investors’ Roundtable 2020.
Appreciating the growing interest of American companies in Punjab, which contributes 3 per cent to India’s GDP with just 1.5 per cent of the country’s land area, the Chief Minister said earlier that while it was predominantly an agricultural state and home to India’s Green Revolution, his government wanted agriculture to become more high-value now with greater growth in the overseas market.
The Chief Minister congratulated the US on the completion of its electoral process and on the election of Joe Biden and Kamla Harris as President and Vice President-elect respectively. He hoped this would usher in a new era of cooperation and friendship between the US and Punjab.
Underlining the role played by the large and vibrant Punjabi NRI population in the US, the Chief Minister said they were working hard to bring success to their countries, with Taranjit Singh Sandhu, currently serving as the Indian Ambassador to the US, a prime example of the synergy that exists between USA and Punjab.
Noting that Punjab was the preferred landing place for several American and other foreign investors coming to India, the Chief Minister pointed out that Pepsi and Walmart started their Indian operations in Punjab, and more than 30 American firms, such as Amazon, Walmart, Quark, Cargill, Tyson, Schreiber, Pepsi, Coca Cola currently have operations in the state.
Referring to the sweeping changes made by his government in the industrial and business policy, the Chief Minister said it was an all-encompassing policy that provides attractive incentives to large units, MSMEs and startups across both, manufacturing and service sectors. (ANI)
