by Manoj Ladwa
In the World Bank’s ‘Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms’ report, Punjab is described as: “Remarkably, the only state in [India] in which the single window system allows application for all of the licenses.”
But when I speak to members of the Punjabi diaspora, their impression of their home state is often much different. In a special report in the forthcoming issue of ‘India Investment Journal’, we will take a look at the factors that in our view still make Punjab one of India’s most favoured business destinations. We feature an exclusive interview with Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the Cabinet minister for food processing industries and Shiromani Akali Dal MP from Bhatinda, who told India Inc. during a recent visit to London that the state’s road to success has been the result of a simple mantra: “Development, development and more development”.
The state is among the fastest growing in India, with investors being able to kick-start a new business in record 100 days’ time on average. It has scored impressively on various other parametres too – ranked No. 1 by World Bank among Indian states for progress in solar energy and IT service delivery cost around 20-30 per cent lower when compared to other states.
Punjab’s global diaspora, I believe, can play a major role in the state’s economic growth, if only they shed their scepticism (often justified). To achieve that, the Punjab government must reach out and meet them half-way. There are over 5 million people of Punjabi origin living in the UK, US, Canada, East Africa, and the Middle and Far East. In fact, Europe’s fastest-growing Indian diaspora is in Italy, and that too mainly from the Punjabi community.
Punjabis are playing a growing and, often very prominent, role in the economic and political life of their adopted countries. For instance, Harjit Sajjan holds the defence minister’s portfolio in Canada and the UK has seen a series of active British Sikhs take on prominent roles and feature in the UK’s Rich List as a result of their fabled hard work and enterprise. The country is also home to the British Sikh Awards, which celebrate the very best of Punjabi talent from across the globe.
Punjab goes to the polls early next year in a hotly fought battle between the Akali Dal/BJP combine, which has governed the state for the past decade, and the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – both parties which fancy their chances. Elections in the state are always colourful and not devoid of controversy. But I very much hope the focus will be on the state’s development, with each party presenting a clear and coherent vision for its future.
It is here, with their skills, experiences, and resources, that Punjab’s diaspora can help. It is a fact Punjab has been grappling with a drugs problem, fuelled and funded from across the international border. This “lost generation” is in dire need for a better direction, where education, skills and ultimately the prospect of jobs is the need of the hour.
Punjabi workers have built bridges in many parts of the world. It is time to help build a bridge for development and success between Punjab and the rest of the world.
