PUNJABI DIASPORA: Sukhbir to woo NRIs to invest in state

Chandigarh, November 23, 2012: The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal would use the platform of three day NRI Sammellan being organised by Punjab Government from January 3-5 next to project the record development works initiated by SAD-BJP government during last six years besides sharing vision and plans for next 20 years with Punjabi Diaspora settled in various countries.

The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, who is also Investment Promotion Minister of the state, would also impress upon foreign entrepreneurs to invest in the state that is all set to become most favoured investment of next decade.

 In a combined meeting of Empowered  and Organising Committee for NRI Sammellan that met under Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia, NRIs Affairs Minister today explained the preparations being done by various departments for three day sammellan being organised first time in the state.

Badal said that purpose of organizing sammellan for three day was to have an interactive session with the Punjabi Elected Representatives of various countries so that they could explain to us problems being faced by NRIs on the first day of the sammellan and Government accordingly could announce steps taken to redress those problems on the final day of sammellan. He said that the second day has been devoted to NRI Media to understand their problems and to work out the plan that how the Punjab Government can take its message in NRI Media. He said that the first two days of Sammellan would be held at Chandigarh and the concluding day sammellan would be held at Jalandhar.

Badal asked IG NRI Affairs Gurpreet Deo to finalise a scheme for protection of properties of NRIs, under which NRIs while going abroad would notify the area SHO, who would protect the property from encroachment, illegal alienation and would be responsible for any failure. Mr. Badal asked Home Affair and other concerned department to put up the bills regarding Human Trafficking Act, Compulsory Registration of Marriages of NRIs and amendment in the Revenue Act for getting the property of NRIs vacated from tenancy in the December session of Vidhan Sabha, so that these acts could be notified for well before the NRI Sammellan. It was decided in the meeting that PUDA would allot a site in Mohali for NRI Bhawan and foundation stone of the bhawan would be laid during the NRI Sammellan.

The dignitaries during the sammellan would also be shown Virasat-E-Khalsa and Banda Bahadur Memorial.

Prominent amongst those present in the occasion were included Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Member Parliament, Bikram Singh Majithia, NRIs Affairs Minister, Sikander Singh Maluka, Education Minister, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Tourism Minister, Ajit Singh Kohar, Transport Minister, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, PWD Minister, Sohan Singh Thandal, Mahinder Kaur Josh, Mantar Singh Brar (all CPS), Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal, Kamal Sharma (both advisors to CM), Tota Singh, Former Minister and MLA,   Pargat Singh, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan, Darshan Singh Shivalik (all MLAs), S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary to CM, P.S. Aujla, Principal Secretary to Deputy CM, N.S. Kang, Financial Commissioner Revenue, S.S. Channi, Principal Secretary NRI Affairs, A.R. Talwar, Principal Secretaries Industries, R. K. Ghanta, Commissioner NRI Affairs, Manvesh Singh Sidhu and Ajay Mahajan (both Special Principal Secretaries to Dy CM), Priyank Bharti, DC Jalandhar, Alak Nanda Dyal, DC Kapurthala and D.S. Mangat, Director Public Relations.