INDIAN STATE : PUNJAB

Major Industries

Agriculture

Agriculture is the most important constituent of the primary sector including forestry, animal husbandry, mining and fishing. Looking at the history of the economic development of the most of the present developed nations or those, which have embarked on the development path, it is the development of the agriculture that has laid the foundation of the development of the other sectors of their economies.

Punjab is a little big state of India: little because the state occupies only 1.5 per cent of the geographical area of the country and big because around two-third of the food grains procured annually in the country come from this state. Further over 95 per cent of the food grains that are moved interstate to feed deficit areas through the public distribution systems are the stocks procured from this state.

New Initiatives in Agriculture

• Integrated Pest Management: A new concept introduced to farmers to assist in general crop conditions & ability to identify pests & diseases and their cures.
• Bio-Fertilisers Bio-fertilisers play a very vital role in farming today. Concentrated efforts are being made to popularise them in the state, and a special Bio fertiliser unit has been recently set up in Ludhiana.
• Special Campaign to Boost Productivity: Under this campaign, two villages will be allocated to each agricultural development officer to provide technology transfers and target on an increase in crop production within a period of two years. Agricultural development officer also ensures timely supply of inputs such as certified seeds, fertilisers etc.
• Diversification of Agriculture To diversify the cropping pattern, efforts have been made to divert areas to a variety of crops like sugarcane, maize, soyabean and agro forestry.
• Bee Keeping Under this scheme, beehives, boxes and other equipment are given on subsidized rates to the small, marginal and land-less farmers who opt for bee keeping. In addition to this Punjab Agro Industries Corporation in collaboration with Natural Honey Bee Products Ltd., is also providing loans through the banks to the farmers for bee keeping.
• Floriculture The state Government of Punjab has given a tremendous boast to floriculture. It has provided nearly 30 lacs gladiolus bulbs to the farmers in the state. Floriculture centres have been set up in Punjab with financial assistance from the central government to train the farmers. To propagate new gladiolus varieties a floriculture centre is being set up at village Majra, near Chandigarh.Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) has set up a floriculture project in joint sector near Lalru under the name and style of M/s Punjab Blossoms Ltd with a capital outlay of Rs. 303 lacs. Another floriculture project has come in public sector under the name Toubro Industries Limited near Dappar, District Patiala.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology in agriculture refers to the techniques that allow scientists to modify DNA, the genetic material of crop plants and livestock, to enhance their tolerance to pests and diseases, increase yield and improve quality and nutritional value. It has a wide range of possible applications in agriculture and food.

The Punjab Government has set up seventeen member Biotechnology Council, besides seeking to involve top experts to facilitate the quick transfer of biotechnology for the immediate benefit of the farm sector. The state government has already approved an integrated approach for the practical application of biotechnology in agriculture by bringing together the farmer and industry.

The state now proposes to set up an institute for excellence in biotechnology with the support of the Department of Biotechnology of the Union Government by coordinating research activities in various institutions, including Punjab Agricultural University, Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjab University and the Institute of Microbial Technology.

The biotechnology benefits to agriculture include:

• Improving crop yield by developing genetically improved plants (GIPs).
• Less chemical usage on crops
• Improved food quality
• Environment friendly due to less use of pesticides and more of herbicides.
• Green-manuring (ploughing live plant material into soil for improving the physical structure as well as fertility of the soil).
• Agro forestry (using trees on farms which helps in availability of many products such as timber, fodder, fuel wood, medicines and oils and also helps to conserve soil, enhance soil fertility, and provide shelterbelts for crops and fruit trees).

New schemes of extension reforms:

• Mass media support to agriculture extension.
• Agri-clinics / agri-business centres.
• Establishment of kissan call centre.
• Private - Public Partnership (PP) in agriculture extension management.

Textiles

The textile industry in India occupies a significant position in the economy, as it is one of the oldest industry to come into existence. The Textile industry also forms an important part of the Punjab economy as it adds about 19% to the total industrial production, and contributes nearly 38% of the total exports from Punjab thereby adding foreign exchange to the economy.

It is the only industry that is complete and self-reliant in value addition i.e from raw material to the highest value-added products-garments/made ups. Thus, the growth and development of textile industry has a significant bearing on the overall development of the Indian economy.

The textile industry employs near about 60% of the total industrial employment in the state of Punjab, becoming the single largest employment Provider. The textile industry requires specific human skills, even though it has a high level of mechanisation, the chances of machine replacing the humans is minimum. This industry helps in the upliftment of the lower sections of the society / semi-literates where the incident of unemployment is high. More importantly it employs more women than any other industry in Punjab. Any boost to the textile industry in Punjab will help in raising the employment levels in the state.

With the elimination of quota regime under Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) and implementation of World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on textile and clothing, the potential for global trade in textile has increased. There is a now greater export opportunity and at the same time making the domestic industry permeable to higher imports. To maintain a competitive edge in the international market, the industry has to improve its efficiency and productivity. At present, with an end to quota regime, the major importers of textiles, USA and European Union (EU) are looking forward to Indian textile industry to meet their textile requirements.

Information Technology

The information technology has gained a global recognition as an important medium of development in the new era. India has also recognized this need and embraced Information Technology (IT) as the principal engine of rapid growth. The Government of Punjab is committed to install IT as an effective tool for catalyzing accelerated efficient governance, human resource development and economic growth. In India's resolve to become an IT superpower, Punjab ensures to become an equal and leading partner.

Government of Punjab has a clear vision to use the Information technology towards accelerated overall development of a knowledge rich society. The benefits of information technology is being viewed as of vital importance by the state because of two main reasons:

• Firstly, Information Technology will be used to reduce the cost of governance and improve overall efficiency and effectiveness of the government machinery and to enable the government to dramatically re-engineer and improve its processes and service delivery systems for the benefit of common public.
• Secondly, Information Technology can dramatically help improve the economy of Punjab, generating more jobs and export revenues and thus enhance the overall quality of life of people.

IT and Internet have established a Global Digital Networked Economy. Government of Punjab has also fully recognized the fact that it needs to invest in education, Infrastructure and IT to be a leader in this economy.

The government of Punjab has identified three ways in which the State can increase employment and boost economic growth in Punjab by using IT:

• By increased organizational efficiency of the Government.
  
• By building a successful domestic Information Technology & knowledge based Industry and business.
  
• By producing globally competitive IT enabled human resources for self-employment as well as job employment within and outside the state and the Country.