Inviting more IT businesses to partner with Punjab industry and explore the state’s vast untapped potential in the sector, the Governance Reforms Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer welcomed all the investors to Punjab, and said that the State has the best ecosystem for thriving of IT and Startup sector.
Divulging more, the Minister said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Punjab is now land of immense opportunities. The Chief Minister has given hope to people that Punjab can be put on orbit of high growth trajectory of economic growth by transforming it into an industrial hub.
The Punjabis are born entrepreneurs and they have been blessed by indomitable spirit of hard work and resilience, said the Minister. He said that the Punjab Government has taken special care to ensure that the industry is an equal partner in policy decisions.
The Minister said that Punjab is the home of leading entrepreneurs of the nation and now Ajay Banga, a Punjabi would lead the World Bank.Focusing on the session, Meet Hayer added that Punjab currently has more than 150+ registered IT units operating within the State with approximately 35,000 IT professionals.
Mohali, the city which is hosting todays event is rapidly developing as IT Hub. It has a Strategic Location with an International Airport.With a project area of approximately 1700 acres and 60+IT companies present in various stages of operationalisation; (IT City offers unparalleled opportunities.)
Also, Quark City is a notified IT Special Economic Zone with 10 lakh sq. ft of area and presence of over 70 IT/ITeS companies.Punjab is also the ESDM Hub of North India, housing India’s only Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) manufacturing facility in Mohali.
Punjab currently houses more than 800 Startups with 20+ Government funded and private Incubators & Accelerators, added Meet Hayer.Earlier, Principal Secretary Governance Reforms Tejveer Singh highlighted the state's potential for investment.
He showcased the state's robust infrastructure that would help in setting up industries and promoting business in a big way. Brijendra Kumar, Partner, KPMG gave opening remarks and acted as a moderator during the discussion.
Sameer Jain, Founder & CEO, Net Solutions began the session by stressing on the need of developing skills not only to meet current but future demands also. He said that educational institutions of the state should focus on imparting digital marketing skills.
Pankaj Gulati, Executive Vice President and COO, CDIL said that Covid times has brought the semiconductor industry to the forefront in the country whereas in Mohali it has been rooted since 1980. He said that Punjab offered one of the best environments to component manufacturers.
Anish Mukkar, CEO India, Tele performance said that Ambala is his hometown and he inherited love for this region. He said that company's Cloud Campus model enabled individuals to work from anywhere.
He said that Punjab provides access to vast pools of talent across customer experience, analytics and technology, which are now indispensable to the world’s leading industries. Tele performance has a strong presence in Mohali area and they would be keen to double the workforce over the coming 3 years.
Taranjeet Singh Founder, Agnext envisioned a world where Punjab farmers and agribusinesses would be able to transact better with the most efficient application of technology. He said that instead of Minimum Support Price the need of the hour is Maximum Support Price to maximise the income of the farmers and it is possible through trust and transparency in global value chains using AI based solutions for enabling quality based assessments.