Punjab to emerge as new pharmaceutical hub: Sukhbir Badal

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Punjab is all set to emerge as pharmaceutical hub of the country as health sector players are keen to invest in the Medicity at New Chandigarh in the next two years.
He said Punjab will be a health tourism destination in the country in the coming years.
Interacting here with a delegation of Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI) here, Badal discussed the state investment policy relevant to biosciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors.
Badal called upon the biosciences, pharmaceuticals and healthcare industrialists to invest in the state as Punjab had implemented an investor friendly investment policy and established an exclusive Medicity at New Chandigarh in the periphery of Chandigarh and SAS Nagar.

OPPI executive members present in the meeting included Shailesh Ayyangar MD Sanofi India and President of OPPI, Sudarshan Jain MD Abbott Healthcare, Aijaz Tobaccowalla MD Pfizer, K Shivkumar MD Eisai Pharmaceuticals, G Sathya Narayanan MD Galderma India, Sanjiv Navangul MD Janssen India (Johnson & Johnson), Aman Bajaj MD Takeda Pharmaceuticals, among others.
Focusing on healthcare, pharmaceuticals and biosciences sector, the Deputy CM affirmed that Punjab would soon attract big investments in these growing knowledge-based sectors with the availability of pharma and medical technology.

Badal said Punjab had put bio-sciences and healthcare sectors on priority. He said there was huge potential for including knowledge based eco-system at peripheral SAS Nagar with availability of pharma manufacturing around Baddi and availability of medical technology in the state.

Badal also informed the business honchos that State had established first of its kind Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion, a one stop clearance mechanism, for giving all approvals to setup new ventures or expansion of existing industrial units in a stipulated time.
He said Invest Punjab had fetched investment of more than 10,000 crore with approving total 145 projects.
Deputy CM also informed that Punjab had become the first state to have surplus power and cent percent rural electrification, besides air connectivity, 4/6 lane expressways, online citizen centric services, record agriculture production and achieved satisfactory growth in social sectors.