Davos 2023: What Punjab is doing to woo investors, Raghav Chadha explains

Davos 2023: Rajya Sabha MP and AAP leader Raghav Chadha on said that his government in Punjab is taking several steps to woo investors in the state. "We are giving viability gap funding, GST incentives, waiver of stamp duty, access to subsidised land, even facilitating finalising of power purchase agreements," he said while speaking to India Today at the World Economic Forum, Davos.

Chadha said he was participating at the WEF meet as a Young Global Leader but he has also structured several deliberations with a lot of people from the industry to get more investments for Punjab. The AAP MP said Punjab has seen a lot of industry growth over the decades. "But over the last few years, due to corruption or lack of interest in political executive, the kind of investment the state wanted did not come," he added.

The AAP came to power in Punjab last year after defeating the Congress, which ruled from 2017 to 2022. Before that, the BJP-Akali Dal ruled the state for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2017.

When asked why Punjab is a good investment choice, Chadha said the state is the food bowl of India, the land of the green revolution, and it has some of the most enterprising people in the country. "Punjab has a very strong logistical backbone and recently we were ranked at the top in the country for the ease of safe logistics," he said.

Explaining business-friendly steps in the state, Chadha said Punjab is giving statutory backing to ease of business, bringing in legislations like the Punjab Anti-Red Tape Act to the Right To Business Act, which is one of a kind in India.

Asked about pollution in Delhi, where AAP is in power, due to stubble burning in Punjab, Chadha said his party has just come to power and it will end parali burning in the state. When pressed further about how he will do, the AAP leader said his government will focus on crop diversification and pull out farmers from the paddy-wheat cycle which leads to stubble burning. He said his government will incentivise the farming of oilseeds and pulses that are more remunerative compared to paddy and wheat.