No amount of flak is reason enough to justify that NRIconclaves, like the one hosted recently, by the Punjab Government and Punjab Chambers of Commerce should not be held, because interact we must.
Having said that, taking this conclave forward, out of the ambit of mere hype, would be something of a challenge which no government has been able to meet, as yet.NRI role in development of Punjab is a 'give and take' phenomenon with the Punjab Government attempting to send a message across that it wasready to meet all the demands, required to make Punjab a preffered destination.
While the NRI's have never failed the 'Punjab Chalo' call, the readiness factor of the Punjab government is always a matter of suspicion. Not that there is any doubt in government's intent, but because of the very way it functions ,the government inadvertentlyputs its own plans in jeopardy.Impolite airport staff, insensitive police and an arrogant bureaucracyhas been some of the main grudges of the NRIs. Given from the business climate the NRIs come from, this treatment does not come as a handy tool to woo them. Perhaps this is exactly what Ujjal Dosanjh, formerPremier of British Columbia, meant when he said, societal change is imperative to attract parvasis.
For many NRI's the attitude only confirms that nothing has changed.A systems check of business environment also does not augur well forNRI investment. Turbulent political climate surely puts them off,reminding them of Punjab's age hold history of power struggles. An ad hoc and opaque system of functioning also ruins Punjab's case. Sample this -a US based software company owned by an Indian has been looking for land in the Mohali IT Park. His fix is that while he is sitting on an investment amount of three million dollars , he cannot, as majorityof the transaction in Punjab is in black money and all his money isaccounted for.Or take NRI Lajpat Rai Munger's case who donated a multi-crore IT centre in Hoshiarpur to the Punjab University just because because he was fed up of corruption. He had set up the institute seven years ago in partnership with California State University, Fresno.
Vision Punjab is a long drawn process, akin to developing a cricket team for the World Cup. Look for quick results and you might end lagging behind even the minnows. Since a start is yet to be made, should Punjab be a destination fornew Gen next knowledge based businesses. Or should it just remain a speculators destination, buying and selling land. Real estate is a great money spinner, but for Gen next businesses and true state building, involving the younger generation Diaspora is imperative.
New Businesses, other than the land lollipop, need infrastructure, HRD resource, high bandwidth, efficient and comfortable transport system,power and roads. Heat, stench, traffic chaos and delays are the other significant deterrents, especially for the young generation. A few years ago a young NRI cardiologist who joined a leading Hospital in Mohali, left in a huff after he was beaten by goons on one of the main highways, while negotiating pot-holes. Taking him as a drunken driver,the doctor was beaten black and blue.
'Agenda Punjab' feel many top notch NRIs should foster to make Punjab a hot destination, where the mind is allowed to flow freely.Something like what a Xerox or Hewlett Packard did to Bay area in SanFrancisco. It has been said that new trends in America are invented inthe Bay Area, amplified in L.A. and then broadcast from New York.Perhaps, that's the way to go for Punjab, powering the mind.
Having said that, taking this conclave forward, out of the ambit of mere hype, would be something of a challenge which no government has been able to meet, as yet.NRI role in development of Punjab is a 'give and take' phenomenon with the Punjab Government attempting to send a message across that it wasready to meet all the demands, required to make Punjab a preffered destination.
While the NRI's have never failed the 'Punjab Chalo' call, the readiness factor of the Punjab government is always a matter of suspicion. Not that there is any doubt in government's intent, but because of the very way it functions ,the government inadvertentlyputs its own plans in jeopardy.Impolite airport staff, insensitive police and an arrogant bureaucracyhas been some of the main grudges of the NRIs. Given from the business climate the NRIs come from, this treatment does not come as a handy tool to woo them. Perhaps this is exactly what Ujjal Dosanjh, formerPremier of British Columbia, meant when he said, societal change is imperative to attract parvasis.
For many NRI's the attitude only confirms that nothing has changed.A systems check of business environment also does not augur well forNRI investment. Turbulent political climate surely puts them off,reminding them of Punjab's age hold history of power struggles. An ad hoc and opaque system of functioning also ruins Punjab's case. Sample this -a US based software company owned by an Indian has been looking for land in the Mohali IT Park. His fix is that while he is sitting on an investment amount of three million dollars , he cannot, as majorityof the transaction in Punjab is in black money and all his money isaccounted for.Or take NRI Lajpat Rai Munger's case who donated a multi-crore IT centre in Hoshiarpur to the Punjab University just because because he was fed up of corruption. He had set up the institute seven years ago in partnership with California State University, Fresno.
Vision Punjab is a long drawn process, akin to developing a cricket team for the World Cup. Look for quick results and you might end lagging behind even the minnows. Since a start is yet to be made, should Punjab be a destination fornew Gen next knowledge based businesses. Or should it just remain a speculators destination, buying and selling land. Real estate is a great money spinner, but for Gen next businesses and true state building, involving the younger generation Diaspora is imperative.
New Businesses, other than the land lollipop, need infrastructure, HRD resource, high bandwidth, efficient and comfortable transport system,power and roads. Heat, stench, traffic chaos and delays are the other significant deterrents, especially for the young generation. A few years ago a young NRI cardiologist who joined a leading Hospital in Mohali, left in a huff after he was beaten by goons on one of the main highways, while negotiating pot-holes. Taking him as a drunken driver,the doctor was beaten black and blue.
'Agenda Punjab' feel many top notch NRIs should foster to make Punjab a hot destination, where the mind is allowed to flow freely.Something like what a Xerox or Hewlett Packard did to Bay area in SanFrancisco. It has been said that new trends in America are invented inthe Bay Area, amplified in L.A. and then broadcast from New York.Perhaps, that's the way to go for Punjab, powering the mind.
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