ANNOUNCES SUJÁN’S INTEREST IN ENTERING THE STATE’S TOURISM SECTOR 

Mrs Anjali Singh, Chairperson, CII Northern Region, today highlighted Punjab’s strong economic potential and reaffirmed CII’s commitment to partnering with the state government and industry to accelerate sustainable and inclusive growth. She emphasized that Punjab, with its rich talent base, entrepreneurial spirit, and diverse strengths across agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, sports, and emerging technologies, is well-positioned for its next phase of development.

Mrs Singh also shared that her hospitality group, SUJÁN, is exploring opportunities to enter Punjab’s tourism sector. She stated, “SUJÁN is very hopeful to make a foray into Punjab in the not-so-distant future. We are very optimistic about the potential of high-end responsible tourism in the state, and we are confident the government will be doing everything to bolster and encourage positive impact tourism in Punjab.”

She drew attention to the significant impact of CII Foundation’s sustainability and agricultural programmes in the state. The Crop Residue Management Initiative, which began as a pilot in 19 villages in 2018, now spans eight districts, 20 blocks, and 827 villages, engaging 1.53 lakh farmers and covering nearly 10 lakh acres. Complementing this effort, the Cleaner Air, Better Life Programme has supported more than 85,000 farmers in adopting sustainable residue management practices, contributing to over a 70 percent reduction in stubble burning across several districts.

Welcoming the Punjab Government’s recent reduction in stamp duty and registration fees on equitable mortgages, Mrs Singh said this long-standing CII recommendation will benefit more than 14 lakh MSMEs by improving credit access and lowering operational costs.

She also highlighted CII’s collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, which is helping develop ESG-focused clusters in textiles and auto components, enabling industries to integrate sustainability into their operations.

Discussing CII’s key recommendations to the state government, Mrs Singh emphasized the need for targeted and competitive incentives to attract and retain investment, particularly in electronics manufacturing and the emerging semiconductor ecosystem. She suggested that the state government consider establishing a Centre of Excellence focused on post-harvest management and sustainable cold storage technologies to promote innovation and technology transfer. She further stressed the importance of effectively marketing Punjab’s land bank at competitive rates, supported by stronger logistics and cold-chain networks, to boost the state’s contribution to national agri-exports.

Mrs Singh concluded by reaffirming CII’s commitment to supporting Punjab’s growth ambitions through constructive policy engagement, partnerships, and sustained collaboration with industry and government.