Face2News/Ludhiana
Minister for Industry & Commerce and Investment Promotion Punjab Sanjeev Arora met the Union Minister for Industries & Commerce Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on Monday and raised state’s industry related issues with him.
In a statement here today, Arora said on his request, the Union Minister promised to providing latest state of the art equipment at all the government R&D Centres across Punjab. He added the Minister assured that the equipment would be in given under Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Scheme.
Piyush Goyal made this promise after Arora presented him a letter requesting for Rs.100 Crore grant for the Indian Association of Hand Tools (IAHT), Ludhiana. He asserted that a vital infrastructure is need at the IAHT, Ludhiana, which is a crucial manufacturing and export hub but the absence of modern testing and certified lab facilities limits its global competitiveness.
Adding, Arora said this will help to establish Latest Tool Room, Design Development & Reverse Engineering facilities. Further elaborating, he said Testing & Evaluation, and Metrology Labs is needed to ensure international quality compliance Heat Treatment Facility to improve durability.
Piyush Goyal made this promise after Arora presented him a letter requesting for Rs.100 Crore grant for the Indian Association of Hand Tools (IAHT), Ludhiana. He asserted that a vital infrastructure is need at the IAHT, Ludhiana, which is a crucial manufacturing and export hub but the absence of modern testing and certified lab facilities limits its global competitiveness.
He also highlighted about the need for establishment of an Advanced Welding Training Workshop, inclusive of consultancy fees for designing course materials and evaluation of structures in line with international standards
He hoped that if this equipment is allocated then it will bolster exports, innovation, and employment-advancing Punjab's manufacturing strength.
Arora also presented another letter to the Union Minister request for Strategic Infrastructure Support in Punjab. He took up the matter of Economic Corridor along Delhi-Katra Expressway and stated that to address the outflow of industries and boost investment, we propose developing a modern economic corridor along the Delhi-Katra passing through Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Sangrur, and Malerkotla- connecting key regions and facilitating seamless movement of goods and services. This corridor can host modern industrial parks, plug-and-play infrastructure, and IT hubs.
Further, Arora urged for upgradation of Ludhiana-Rewari Route for Double Stack Container Movement. Highlighting this issue, he stated that the Ludhiana-Rewari route is a key logistics link connecting Punjab to the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC). However, double-stack rail movement is currently blocked due to height constraints at road and foot overbridges-pending resolution for over four years. This has forced around 36,000- 42,000 containers annually to shift to road transport, increasing logistics costs and congestion at ports like Mundra. Punjab has urged the Centre to urgently complete the sanctioned upgradation of this route. Unlocking double-stack rail movement will significantly reduce costs, improve trade competitiveness, and support national policies like the National Logistics Policy and PM Gati Shakti Plan.
Arora said the Union Minister for Industries & Commerce Piyush Goyal assured his fulsome support to him.