Writeup AP 2011-12 - Punjab State Planning Board

The state government has been rigorously pursuing with Government of India for sanction of
other cluster projects.
70. The state government has requested the Government of India to link the
Western Freight Corridor with the Eastern Freight Corridor and to extend them to Amritsar in
Punjab.
71. Punjab being primarily an agriculture state, special assistance is required from
Govt. of India for the development of agro-based Industries in Punjab. Industry in Punjab
has already suffered adversely due to grant of tax exemptions to industrial units in the
neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. This facility has further
been extended by Government of India to Industrial units setup up to March, 2010 in respect
of new investments to be made by such units even after 31 st March, 2010. Central Excise
collection in Punjab after grant of these concessions in the neighbouring states, which in
2002-03 was Rs. 2655 crore has come down to Rs. 729 crore in the year 2008-09. Govt. of
India has, therefore, been requested to provide concessions as admissible to industrial units in
the neighbouring states to the industrial units in Punjab or at least in the border areas of the
state. There has been no major Central Sector Investment in Punjab besides Refinery. The
share of Central Sector investment in the state is less than 1.5%. Government of India
should, therefore, help in locating some major automobile unit having potential for large
scale ancillaries in Punjab.
72. State government has requested Government of India to allow additional items
for trade through the Attari land route. Items like shawls, hand machine tools, leather goods,
garments, auto parts, wheat and flour are in great demand in Pakistan and can be easily
exported through Attari. Against more than one thousand items tradable with Pakistan, only
a few of these items can move through the land route. This negates the locational advantages
the state have with Pakistan.
73. National Institute of Fashion Technology, Government of India, Delhi has
agreed to the merger of Northern India Institute of Fashion Technology, Mohali with them.
NIFT, Delhi will now award degrees instead of diploma certificates to the students passing
out from this institute. State government is required to pay Rs. 48 crore in 3 years and NIIFT
would henceforth be managed by NIFT, Delhi. State government has decided to set up two
self- contained mixed use and integrated information technology and knowledge industry
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