Punjab lags behind in shining India

While the Indian economy is growing, Punjab, with a strong agriculture base, is losing ground. This is because a slow structural change has taken place. The process of industrialisation is very slow and the share of agriculture in the value added is declining.

These observations were made by Isher Judge Ahluwalia, vice-chairperson of the Punjab Planning Board, who was in the city to deliver a lecture at Guru Nanak Dev University today.

Talking about the potential of development in the State(Punjab), Dr. Ahluwalia said there was a scope for development of services sector like health and tourism but still agriculture sector was the principal driver of State's development.

She emphasized that there was a great need of Agro-based industry which would lead to crop diversification and it would also have high linkages between agriculture and industry.

Stressing on the need of diversifying out of rice cultivation to horticulture crops, she highlighted the scope for Public Private Participation (PPP) in industrializing the State. She also highlighted that State has a special role to play as facilitator so that the farmers were not exploited by the industrialists and middlemen. 

Commenting upon industrialization of Punjab, she said Punjab Industry could not come up so far because the Government failed to create investment climate to attract the big industrial houses.

She stressed the need to provide infrastructure facilities and enhance skill base of the State. She also laid emphasis to encourage Small Scale Industry particularly textile and auto component industry in the State to re-energize the growth potential of the State.

She said that the State would have to evolve such policies so that Small Scale Industry in the organized sector was attracted to the State. Efforts should also be made to encourage the private players to establish units in agro-processing and auto-component industry.

She also felt the need to develop Airports of International standard, dedicated cargo rail line upto Ludhiana, four-laning of national highways as announced by the Prime Minister was going to act as catalyst for development of the State.

While, Dr. S.S. Johal, Vice-Chairman of Punjab State Planning Board said rural indebtedness of Punjab was because of easy availability of credit which was diverted to unproductive areas and absorptive capacity of farming sector was not developed. He also pleaded to establish Nuclear Power Plant in the State.