Punjab’s Industrial Sector to Play Pivotal Role in Rebuilding Flood-Hit Areas: Sanjeev Arora
New Delhi: Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora, Government of Punjab, today engaged in crucial meetings with Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) and Chairman CPCB to discuss key issues impacting the state’s industrial growth and environmental sustainability.
Minister Arora, accompanied by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Chairperson Reena Gupta, met with Secretary MSME to discuss the implementation of Central Sector Schemes (CSS) and other avenues for Punjab. The Secretary apprised the Minister about the Micro & Small Enterprises Cluster Development Program (MSE-CDP), which aims to support the sustainability and growth of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) by addressing common issues such as technology improvement, skill development, quality enhancement, market access, and access to capital.
The Minister and Secretary also discussed the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme, which provides credit guarantees to new and existing MSMEs. The Secretary emphasized the importance of Udyam and Udyam Assist registration in enabling MSMEs to access funds at competitive rates and avoid private lenders. All nationalized banks, cooperatives and major private banks support this CGTMSE scheme.
Setting up of Common Facility Centres (CFCs) with a maximum eligible project cost of Rs. 15.00 crore and GoI contribution of 70% (90% for special category States and clusters with more than 50% women/micro/village/SC/ST units).
Infrastructure development in industrial estates/areas with a maximum eligible project cost of Rs. 10.00 crore and GoI contribution of 60% (80% for special category States and clusters with more than 50% women/micro/SC/ST units).
Skill Development Initiative (SDI) providing vocational training to school dropouts, existing workers, and ITI graduates to improve employability.
ATI scheme: Upgradation of industry training centers and Assistance towards the training cost of incubates will be met out of the ATI scheme of the Ministry as far as possible for training centres.
Cluster Development Programme for Pharma Sector (CDP-PS): One time grant-in-aid released in phases, for creation of infrastructure and common facilities wherein support of Maximum of Rs.20 crore or 70% of project cost, whichever is less.
Minister Arora, along with PPCB Chairperson Reena Gupta, also met with Secretary Environment Tanmay Kumar and Chairman CPCB Vir Vikram Yadav to discuss environmental issues impacting industries in Punjab. The Secretary apprised the Minister about new guidelines regarding Standard Verification Protocol (SVP) for Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and other treatment plants, effective September 1, 2025. The Minister was advised to utilize environment cess funds lying with PPCB for protecting the environmentby upgrading existing infrastructure and also adding new.
The meeting also deliberated on issues related to Budha Dariya and steel rolling mills in Mandi Gobindgarh, exploring short-term and long-term solutions to balance environmental concerns and industrial growth.
In a separate meeting, Minister Arora along with PPCB Chairperson Reena Gupta met with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav of MoEF, who assured maximum support for ensuring that environment and industry can coexist in a balanced manner through Centre-State cooperation.
Through these meetings, Minister Sanjeev Arora demonstrated his commitment to fostering industrial growth and environmental sustainability in Punjab, working closely with Central Government officials to address key challenges and opportunities.
Minister Sanjeev Arora said that Punjab’s industrial sector will actively contribute to the rehabilitation and rebuilding of flood-affected regions in the state. He said the industry will extend every possible and maximum help to restore infrastructure, livelihoods, and essential services in flood-hit areas. “Industry leaders and associations have expressed their commitment to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the government to help flood-affected families return to normal life at the earliest,” said Arora, assuring that Punjab’s industrial growth will go hand-in-hand with humanitarian assistance during this critical phase.
The Minister added that in coordination with the Punjab Government, the industrial sector will also focus on reviving small businesses and generating employment opportunities for families that have lost their means of livelihood in these devastating floods.
