MOHALI: The planning commission of India has agreed to the proposal of Punjab Govt. to extend the scheme of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) to Mohali on the pattern of Ludhiana and Amritsar where the Govt. of India was committed to spend Rs. 3150 crore and 2054 crore respectively for creating world class infrastructure.

This was stated here Friday by punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal after laying Foundation stone of Mohali Hills—India's first integrated township on Landran-Banur road.

Punjab Chief Minister said on Friday that it was a red letter day in the history of the development of Punjab when an internationally acclaimed Emaar MGF Land Private Limited, a joint venture between Dubai based  real estate company, Emaar Properties PJSC Dubai and India's leading real estate developer, MGF Developments, had pumped in Rs. 5,000 crore in the real estate sector in Punjab. He said this company would not only develop residential colonies unlike other housing companies but also create an infrastructure including facilities for health care, education, sanitation and besides Commercial & Retail, Hospitality, Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and IT parks.

Dispelling the misconceptions and fears from the minds of the prospective investors, Badal said that their governemnt was committed to encourage industrialization in a big way as the agricultural profession was no more profitable due to the diminishing returns on produce as compared to high cost of agricultural inputs. He said that all the mega projects within the parameters of laid down industrial policy would be permitted to go stream whereas those that had some technical problems could be rectified at the level of the state government. He however said that the propaganda made by the previous regime that SAD-BJP coming to power would scrap the entire mega projects had been belied. Badal made it crystal clear that the state government would create an investor-friendly climate to woo the investors not only from the country but abroad also.

Striking a jubilant note Badal stated that the state govt. would soon come up with a new land acquisition policy under land pooling scheme for the commercial, housing and industrial purposes. He said that there would be two most important aspects in the new policy; firstly, no land would be acquired without the consent of the farmers and secondly, the farmers whose land was acquisitioned would be given an option of either giving them adequate compensation or fixed share of developed land out of the total chunk of land acquired for any specified purpose. He underlined that the basic objective of the policy was to make farmers 'stake holders' in the process of the development.

The Chief Minister also urged the big industrial and corporate houses to initiate steps to open public schools in the rural areas to impart education to the economically under privileged and also sought   assistance from them for the state government's ambitious schemes of 'Adarsh Schools' to be opened in each block to provide education to the 'gifted poor'.  He also said that the state government would soon open skill up-gradation  centers in the state to provide vocational training to the youth for gainful employment.

Later, Badal unveiled the plaque to mark the foundation laying ceremony along with his cabinet colleagues Co-operation Minister Capt.Kanwaljit Singh, Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh and Water Supply & Sanitation and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

Speaking on the occasion Co-operation Minister Capt. Kanwaljit Singh said that the SAD-BJP Govt. had infused a sense of confidence and security amongst the entrepreneurs and Punjab would soon herald an industrial revolution in the near future.

Meanwhile, Food and Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon said that Emaar MGF should undertake  such commercial and industrial mega projects in other parts of the state to create tremendous employment potential  for the youth.

Speaking at the launch, Shravan Gupta, Executive Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Emaar MGF, said "Punjab is a land of opportunities. Every recent survey has consistently rated Punjab as Number 1 state in the country. Our plans for Punjab resonate this optimism and we are committed to partner with Punjab to help transform it as the foremost progressive state in the country".