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U.S. to promote private investment in Punjab

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, DEC 14. The U.S. Government would encourage investors and entrepreneurs to make large capital investment in the private sector in Punjab which it sees as tremendous potential for technical collaboration and export of technology in the fields of dairy, agro- processing, bio-technology, horticulture and agriculture research.

According to an official release, a four-member delegation led by the US Deputy Chief of Mission, Robert Blake Jr. today called on Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, and evinced keen interest in Punjab's agro-based economy and found the State conducive for investment.

Mr. Blake also appreciated the efforts of Capt. Singh in taking an initiative for improving the bilateral ties between India and Pakistan. He said that the opening of the Indo-Pak border would not only benefit the East and West Punjab, but also catalyse the economic growth in the international market.

Participating in the discussions, Capt. Singh said that Punjab had made a notable progress on the agricultural front through diversification of crops and contract farming, where reputed corporate houses had joined hands with the state Government to further the new concepts with the peasantry. Similarly, he pointed out that renowned multi-national companies in the IT sector like Dell, Quark, Infosys and Microsoft had already made forays, accelerating the pace of industrialisation in the State.

Capt. Singh lauded the US Department of Justice for issuing advisory on Sikhs and their turbans to check the hate crimes reported from time to time in USA. He also informed Mr. Blake that a Punjab-based NGO in collaboration with Smithsonian - the world's largest museum in US- had played a key role to educate the U.S. population on the distinct identity of Sikh community in the United States.

Capt. Singh also said that Smithsonian had also offered to provide a mobile laboratory, equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment, first of its kinds in the world to the Anandpur Sahib foundation for the inspection, care and preservation of heritage objects, artefacts and archaeological sites.

Mr. Blake assured the Punjab Chief Minister that the identity of Sikhs would be protected and the United States President, George Bush, was deeply concerned with their problems. Dispelling fears in the minds of Sikh community in U.S., he said that Mr. Bush had reiterated that their life and the property would be safeguarded at all costs.

Mr. Blake was accompanied by Public Affairs Consular, Mike Anderson, Cultural Affairs Consular, Adnan Siddiqui and Political Analyst, Shireen Singh. Prominent amongst others who were present on the occasion included Punjab Deputy Chief Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Deputy, Principal Secretary Information and Public Relations and Cultural Affairs D.S. Jaspal, and Mr. Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Suresh Kumar.

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U.S. to promote private investment in Punjab

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