Punjab should designate 2011 as Infrastructure and Skills Development Year : NRI convention

CHANDIGARH : A Punjab NRI convention organized by International Punjabi Chamber for Service Industry here today urged the Punjab government to declare 2011 as the year for Infrastructure and skills development. The NRI convention which saw participation from over 100 NRIs of Punjab origin from across the globe, including USA, UK, France, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, etc, besides an equal number of top corporates, also called for NRIs to adopt Punjab youth from the poorer sections for providing them education upto +2 level.
Held under the aegis of the Punjab government with focus on infrastructure development and on channelizing the investments both from within the country and overseas, the conference, organized on the occasion of the 8th Punjabi Parvasi Divas, strongly recommended involving the Indian Diaspora, especially of Punjabi origin, to make use of their resources, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit for the overall economic development of the state, especially of its backward areas.
Inaugurating the conference, Punjab Industries and Commerce minister Manoranjan Kalia said with a new industrial policy in place, offering a package of incentives and facilities for setting up projects, there was greater scope for NRIs from Punjab to set up their profitable ventures in the state and boost its economy. Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu gave a special address on the occasion. The main objective of the conference was to recognise the contribution of the financial services coupled with that of the NRIs and the domestic corporate to the Indian economy and the role they can play in catapulting the country, especially of Punjab, into higher economic growth and promoting the infrastructure, social educational and environmental causes and other allied activities.
There are enormous opportunities for NRI professional, entrepreneurs and businessmen, trade and commercial organizations to get actively involved in the development process of Northern India, particularly Punjab, as well as become mechanisms that allow transfer of their skills, leveraging of contacts, attracting investment, enhancing trade and providing networking and insight into the global market psyche.
Among the speakers were Mahendra Khari, an eminent NRI from the UK, who is the President elect of the IPCSI, Prof. Satinder Dhiman from the Woodbury University, California, S C Agrawal, Chief Secretary Punjab, S S Channy, Principal Secretary Industries Punjab, Peter Sandhu, MLA from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Kamaljeet Singh Hayer, President of NRI Sabha, Punjab, and Inderjeet Singh Mullanpuri, editor of Deshvidesh Times and Dr Arunh Gupta an eminent Ayurvedist, European Union..
The main focus of IPCSI is promoting service industry growth in the State of Punjab which at present is lagging behind with 45 % contribution to the state GDP compared to the contribution of the Service Industry in the national growth which is above 60 percent. The efforts are to build service industry infrastructure for its various components such as health services, tourism, transport including air transport, hospitality services including hotels, resorts, theme and amusement parks, ropeways, convention centres, golf courses, developing heritage villages, human resource development, retail & real estate, IT and ITES, media and entertainment and other such sectors.
Our basic effort is how NRIs could be linked up in developing service industry in the State of Punjab and at the same time helping the youth of Punjab to become respectable citizens of the State. In the last NRI conference IPCSI had focused on skills development and making Punjab the skill capital of the world. In between the last conference and the present event, approximately 15,000 youth (mostly rural) were trained in skill devilment in the state and providing them employment opportunities.
Our focus now is how the NRIs and skilled manpower requirements could be matched with the aspiring youths and who are keen to go abroad i.e. where the demand and supply meet on common platform while fulfilling each other’s requirements. In this regard, IPCSI is exploring those skills which could benefit them when they go abroad for employment.
IPCSI strongly urges the NRIs to adopt some children especially, belonging to the weaker sections of the society from their respective districts to give them basic education and skills development to make them employable and give suitable opening to the deserving youth as per NRIs requirement. Such an arrangement would help the youth of Punjab to a great extent while strategically channelising their talent. The effort is that these youths who are keen to go abroad should not fall in the hands of touts or travel agents and other unscrupulous persons who send them abroad without giving them appropriate skills and sometimes in illegal ways.