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INDIAN STATE : PUNJAB
Tourism
In Punjab, both domestic and international tourism
provides huge opportunities of development to the state
in short-term as well as on a long-term basis and generates
sizeable revenue to meet the necessary requirements
of state. Popularity of Punjab tourism can be witnessed
by the fact that the internationally renowned Golden
temple in Amritsar has been recommended to UNESCO by
tourists for world heritage monument status.
In Punjab tourism is primarily religious and tourists
from all over the world visit Punjab mainly on a religious
trip. There are large numbers of Gurudwaras including
three principal Takhts of Sikhs in Punjab. Moreover,
there are many important Hindu Temples such as the Ram
Tirath, Durgiana Mandir, Kali Devi Mandir at Patiala,
which have a history behind them. Punjab also has certain
important Muslim religious places like Rauza Sharif
in Sirhind, which is considered, next to Mecca. Other
important mosques are Jamma Masjid Jalandhar, Moorish
Mosque Kapurthala, Chilla Baba Sheikh Farid Faridkot
etc.Two major tourism destinations of Punjab are Amritsar
and Anandpur Sahib.
The Government of Punjab has been taking several initiatives
to promote investments in the tourism sector. These
include:
- The state abounds with some of the best forts and
palaces. The Government is encouraging the preservation,
conservation and upkeep of such heritage properties
and selectively open some of them for being developed
into Hotels/Tourist Complex.
- The state encourages private investments in developing
ancient buildings and heritage properties as tourist
resorts.
- The properties owned by the state government may
be offered on easy terms to private entrepreneurs
for conversion into hotels on a case-to-case basis.
- Corporate sector is invited to join hands with the
government in conservation of historical heritage
and monuments in the state.
- The government is working towards improvement in
infrastructure facilities at tourist attractions.
- Private sector is encouraged to set up hotels/restaurants/
lodging facilities at religious centres.
Leading Business Locations
| Ludhiana |
Bicycle, Bicycle Components
Hosiery Goods, Sewing machine & parts of Machine
Tools.
Jalandhar Agricultural products, textiles, leather
goods, wood products& sporting goods. |
| Phagwara |
Cloth and sugar mills. |
| Goraya |
Fodder chopping machines, harvesting
combines and axles. |
| Kartarpur |
Furniture |
| Pathankot |
An important link city for going
to Jammu and Kashmir, Dalhousie, Chamba, Kangra
and the deep Himalayas |
| Patiala |
Embroidered golden and silver
Punjabi shoes, match dresses, silver and gold embroidered
"naalas" (or pyjama strings) parandhas
(women weave them at the end of their plaits or
braids) |
| Rajpura |
Cables,tyres and a whole range
of agro-products |
| Nabha |
manufacturing unit of the famous
Horlicks Company |
| Bhatinda |
One of the biggest cotton producing
regions of India, a big thermal power plant and
fertilizer factory. A big oil Refinery is also coming
up in the district. |
Internationally Renowned Indian Companies Working In
Punjab
Major Multinational Corporations
Operating in Punjab
Investment Incentives
Investment Incentives in the Agro & Food Processing
Industry
- For agriculture commodities other than wheat and
paddy no market fees shall be levied on purchases
made by agro and food processing units.
- Similarly for commodities other than wheat and paddy
purchased by food and agro processing units, no rural
output tax shall be charged.
- All processing units will be allowed to purchase
agricultural products directly from the farmers and
necessary exemption for this purpose will be given
to them under the Punjab APMC Act.
- Sales tax on packaging material will be reduced
to minimum floor level.
- Sales tax on ISI mark pumps and motors will be
reduced to the minimum floor level.
- There will be no restriction on any dealer for
stocking / movement of food grains, sugar and edible
oils in view of Removal of Licensing Requirements
Stock Limit and Movement Restrictions on Specified
Food Stuffs Order, 2002.
- For agro and food processing units (other than those
processing wheat and paddy) input tax credit in respect
of sales or purchase tax paid, as envisaged under
the proposed VAT regime, will be allowed provided
the finished products are taxable under the local
tax act or under the CST act. This input tax credit
shall be allowed at the rate of tax on inputs or the
rate of tax on output, whichever is lower. In respect
of wheat, paddy / rice industry, this Input tax credit
will only be allowed to those agro and food processing
units which have a fixed capital investment of at
least US$ 10.8152 million.
Investment Incentives in the Information Technology
Sector
Single Window Service
- All Knowledge ,IT/ITES Parks, estates, complexes
that are set up by Punjab Information and communication
Technology Corporation Limited or in its joint ventures
would be facilitated through a Single Window Service
to assist the entrepreneurs / investors.
- These units will also be provided with a single
window service to assist entrepreneurs / investors
to get statutory clearances for setting up units.
Tax / local tax Rationalization
and benefits
- Sales Tax on IT and BT products would be maintained
on the minimum floor rates as announced by the Govt
of India . No turnover tax,additional sales tax, surcharge
or any other additional levy related to sales tax,
shall be applicable to IT and BT products and services.
- No restrictions on the movement of capital equipment
including IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech equipment,
hardware peripherals, captive power generating sets,
UPS sets and telephone exchanges.
Rationalisation of Octroi
No octroi will be charged on the IT, ITES, Electronics
and Biotech items including hardware, software, components,
PCB's, populated PCBs and mechanical items relating
to IT and ITES and electronics, which are being brought
into the Industrial Areas/ Industrial Focal Points/
IT parks / complex,
Locational benefits
Software, Electronics and bio-informatics industry
which require electrical power up to 10 KVA will be
permitted to be established without any location restrictions
and will be eligible for all incentives and concessions.
This is subject to certain norms to be notified by Punjab
Information and communication Technology
Benefits in respect of electric
power
Power at the industrial tariff rate and other incentives
and concessions will be applicable to IT, ITES, Electronics
and Biotech industry including those in the urban areas.
Exemption from Electricity Duty
All IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech units located
in the State of Punjab are exempted from payment of
electricity duty for a period of 5 years from the date
of release of electricity connection.
No power cuts or restrictions of
peak load hours
All IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech units located
in the State of Punjab are exempted from the purview
of statutory power cuts.
Facilitation Services:
- All IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech units are
exempted from obtaining NOC/ consent from the Punjab
Pollution Control Board (PPCB) provided that where
the number of workers in such industry is more than
300 and there exists no sewerage facility, no exemption
shall be available. Even the hardware industries,
except for those having electroplating, heat treatment
and painting process, are exempted from obtaining
NOC/ consent of Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)
provided that where the number of workers in such
industry is more than 300 and there exists no sewerage
facility, no exemption shall be available.
- All IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech units are
allowed to self-certify the full observance of the
provisions of law in respect of the following Acts
and Rules instead of the statutory inspections/ verification
reports by the concerned Departments in respect of
the acts laid down by law.
Three shifts operation
General permission has been granted to all IT Software
Industry and IT Enabled Service Industry and electronics
industry as well as the Biotech Industry to operate
in three shifts and also employ the ladies staff on
such jobs subject to the conditions notified.
Infrastructure incentives and facilitations
Land / office space offered to IT, ITES, Electronics
and Biotech units at a reasonable / discounted price
worked out by the Government for each IT and BT Park
subject to certain considerations.
Exemption from Stamp Duty and Registration
Fee
Property transaction in connection with setting up
of IT & ITES and Biotech Parks, Complexes shall
be exempted from payment of stamp duty for period of
three years. The maximum registration fee charged from
these units shall not be more than US$ 21. 6768. There
shall be no stamp duty on lease and financial instruments
of units located in such notified areas during the setting
up of these parks and thereafter for a period of three
years. Thereafter a stamp duty of 2% would be chargeable
on such transactions.
Relaxation of FSI
Government of Punjab would offer relaxation of FSI
(Floor Spacing Index) in the towns to the extent of
50% for IT & ITES and BT Parks, Complexes and electronics
/ Biotech estates as authorized by the Department of
Industries & Commerce, Government of Punjab or Punjab
Information and communication Technology Corporation
Limited (Punjab InfoTech)
Exemption from land and building
tax
The portion of the commercial buildings which are fully
dedicated to IT, ITES, Electronics and Biotech Industry
will be exempted from the property tax for a period
of 5 years. In case of change of use of building prior
to 5 years such exemption would automatically be revoked.
Investment Incentive in the Biotechnology Sector
- Minimum floor level of Sales Tax rates.
- No restriction on movement of capital equipment.
- Rationalisation of Octroi.
- Power at Industrial Power Tariff.
- Exemption from Electricity Duty for five years.
- No power cuts or restrictions on peak load hours.
- Exemption on property transactions from Stamp Duty
and Registration Fee for three years.
- Relaxation in Floor Spacing Index to the extent
of 50%.
- Exemption from Land and Building Tax. The above
Package of Incentives will be valid for a period of
three years and subject to review thereafter.
Investment Opportunities
- Agriculture
- Dairy and Poultry based units
- Meat Processing
- Leather Industry
- Sports goods
- Textiles Hosiery and Woollens
- Light Engineering goods
- Biotechnology
- Electronics and Telecommunications
- Information Technology
- Automobiles
- Engineering industries relating to agriculture
and food processing
- Ancillary units
- Chemical Industries (Including drugs and Pharmaceuticals)
- Export Oriented Units
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