Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann landed in the Netherlands on Saturday to strengthen bilateral partnerships and position Punjab as a compelling investment destination.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann greets India’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Kumar Tuhin, in Amsterdam on Saturday. (CMO)
Accompanied by industry and commerce minister Sanjeev Arora, chief secretary KAP Sinha and a battery of other officials, Mann is looking to bring new investments in food processing, logistics, alloys and steels, pharmaceuticals and information technology to accelerate industrial growth and economic development.
The visit assumes significance as the Netherlands is among the largest foreign direct investors (FDI) in India, with several Dutch companies already having a presence in Punjab.
Mann stated, “This vision is simple and clear: to make Punjab a preferred destination for global industry by offering stability in policy, speed in decision-making, and a governance system that respects the time and trust of investors.”
During the visit, the chief minister will pitch for strategic tie-ups in priority sectors to further boost industrial development. He will also showcase Punjab as North India’s preferred investment destination by highlighting its strategic location, seamless connectivity to NCR and major ports, strong industrial clusters, uninterrupted quality power supply, skilled workforce and a progressive policy ecosystem.
Through a series of roadshows, one-to-one business meetings and interactions with major global corporations and institutions, the delegation will present key governance and regulatory reforms introduced by the Punjab government. These include the FastTrack Punjab single-window system offering more than 173 government-to-business services, auto-deemed approvals, PAN-based business identifiers and amendments to the Punjab Right to Business Act, enabling time-bound in-principle approvals.
Before this, Mann had also visited both South Korea and Japan in December last year as part of his efforts to position Punjab as a stable, transparent, and future-ready investment destination.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia targeted Mann over his foreign visit, raising questions about the purpose of the tour and the expenditure involved amid the state’s prevailing financial strain.
In a statement, Majithia alleged that such visits were being “projected as investment drives”, without clarity about tangible outcomes and actual investments brought to the state.