Punjab to be best host in country for industry, Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora

Ludhiana, July 27, 2025: Cabinet Minister, Punjab Sanjeev Arora held a meeting with the leading industrialists in the premises of Avon Cycles here on Saturday evening. 

During this meeting, he listened to the problems of the industry. Various leading industrialists Onkar Singh Pahwa, Rahul Ahuja, SC Ralhan, JR Singhal, Sanjeev Pahwa, Rajnish Ahuja, Mandeep Pahwa, Arshdeep Singh Sahni, Harsimerjit Singh Lucky, MS Bhogal and Gurmeet Singh Kular apprised Arora about their issues and problems. They thanked Arora for already resolving many industrial issues. However, the newer issues are coming up with passage of time.

The issues taken up during the meeting including related to GST, PSPCL, freight subsidy, industrial plots, industrial corridor, traffic jams and municipal corporation.

After listening to the problems of the industries, Arora gave satisfactory answers to all the issues one after another. 

Regarding the issue of fake GST billing, Arora asked the industrialists to suggest him the remedial measures so that a strict action should be initiated. The minister was apprised that the industrialists doing genuine business are suffering losses due to the fake GST billing. On the issue of a demand of the industrialists that GST rate should be reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent on bicycles, Arora said when he was Rajya Sabha Member he had taken up this matter with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. 

He said state government has distributed industrial subsidies worth Rs.222 crores in the first four months of current financial year, adding that the remaining subsidies worth Rs.28 crores would be distributed in the near future. He added subsidies worth about Rs.80 crore were distributed in the last fiscal. 

The Cabinet Minister said the state government has already set up 9 industrial committees for industrial policy enhancement in Punjab, adding that the remaining committees would be announced by next week. He added the motive of setting up of these committees is to gather suggestions from industry experts for strengthening the state’s industrial policy and further improving ease of doing business.  

All industrialists present at the meeting, praised the state government for taking care of almost all relevant issues of the industry in last 3 years.

Punjab Cabinet Minister said he has observed that despite Punjab a landlock and border state people from outside the state are very much willing to invest in Punjab because there is a very cordial industrial atmosphere in the state. He added the state government is also ensuring to provide pro-industry policies and ease of doing business with an objective to further boost investment in the state. He added the state government is ensuring to provide all approvals to the new units within 45 days.

Further, Arora said the state government under the leadership of the AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is making all out efforts to bring maximum investments in the state. He added with a view to give further boost to this initiative a Punjab Invest Summit would be organised in February next year. Besides, people across the country would be motivated to invest in Punjab. He said roadshows would also be carried out at different places for promoting industrialisation across the state.