Over 5 lakh employment opportunities generated, Progressive Punjab Investors Summit-2026 to be held from March 13–15 at Mohali
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora today said that Punjab has attracted ₹1.50 lakh crore (approximately USD 19 billion) in investments since the formation of the AAP Government, resulting in the generation of more than five lakh employment opportunities across the State.
He said this reflects the Government’s firm commitment to making Punjab a preferred destination for investors and a leading industrial hub. Major Investments announce for Punjab in last 5 months are HPCL Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) – ₹2,600 Crores, Vardhman Steels- ₹3,000 Crores, Trident Group – ₹2,000 Crores, IOL Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Limited – ₹1,400 Crores, Happy Forgings Limited – ₹1,000 Crores, Veerka Beverages Private Limited – ₹987 Crores, Fortis Healthcare (Mohali) – ₹900 Crores, Amber Enterprises India Limited – ₹500 Crores, Infosys Limited – ₹285 crore, Toppan Speciality Films Pvt. Ltd – ₹300–400 Crores.
Highlighting the future roadmap, the Minister informed that the 6th Progressive Punjab Investors Summit-2026 will be held from March 13 to 15, 2026, at Mohali, which is expected to provide a major boost to the State’s industrial ecosystem.
He stated that the recent Japan and South Korea visits to Tokya, Osaka & Seoul were highly successful, and significant fresh investments are expected following the overseas outreach, opening new avenues for foreign entrepreneurs. To further facilitate investments, the State Government is ensuring that all industrial approvals are granted within a timeline of 5 to 45 days.
Punjab has been awarded “Top Achiever” status under the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP)-2024 by the Government of India, he added. In a major relief to industry and traders, the State has introduced a single 0.25% stamp duty on the total loan amount, covering all related instruments and capped at ₹5 lakh. Additionally, the registration fee on Equitable Mortgage has been reduced from ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,000.
The Minister said that the Government has launched RTB Act 2.0 on the Punjab Invest portal, further enhancing ease of doing business by enabling consolidated approvals starting from as early as 5 days. He added that the compliance burden has been significantly reduced by simplifying, digitising, decriminalising and rationalising 833 G2B and 1,702 G2C compliances.
Amendments to the Punjab Right to Business Act, 2020 now allow eligible enterprises to commence or expand operations based on self-declaration, with In-Principle approvals issued within 5 to 18 days. About 2,000 units have already been granted such approvals. The CLU process has also been simplified by removing the requirement for standalone industries in permissible zones.
The Minister further stated that 24 specialised Sectoral Committees have been constituted to ensure robust industry consultation for the upcoming sector-specific industrial policy. Each committee is chaired by a prominent industrialist from the respective sector. All committee reports have been submitted, and a new, robust Industrial Policy is on the anvil and will be released by January 2026.
He added that the Government launched the “Rising Punjab – Suggestions to Solutions” series across Mohali, Bathinda, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Gobindgarh and Khanna, enabling direct industry participation in policy formulation. Outreach delegations led by the Chief Minister were conducted in New Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Punjab offers attractive incentives under the existing policy, including SGST reimbursement, exemptions from electricity duty and stamp duty, and special incentives for MSMEs. Fiscal incentives amounting to ₹29,933 crore have been issued to 1,145 units since March 2022.
Concluding, the Minister said that addressing a long-pending industry demand of nearly three decades, an OTS Scheme has been approved for existing allottees with 100% waiver of penal interest and 8% simple interest, along with policies for leasehold-to-freehold conversion, plot fragmentation, subdivision and reorganisation, and the constitution of an appellate authority for grievance redressal.