Operationalize Ladhowal Mega Food Park by next month or will terminate project: Centre to Punjab govt

New Delhi, 29 June (KNN) Union Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to intervene and direct the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) to operationalize the Ladhowal mega food park by next month.

The Centre had given a grant of Rs 50 crore for setting up of the mega food park at Ladhowal in Ludhiana district. The proposed project was approved in November 2015 and was to be completed by May 2018, she said.

Badal said that she had been consistently reviewing the progress of the work there was a complete lack of initiative from the PAIC to stick to mandated schedules which was harming progressive farmers as well as youth who were scheduled to get employment at the facility.

Badal added that her ministry has been regularly reviewing the progress of the mega food park which is expected to generate employment for youth, benefit farmers and promote industry in Punjab..

She said if this was not done, her ministry would be forced to terminate the project which would deprive the state of significant job opportunities because of its own apathy.

She said she had already sanctioned two new projects in Punjab in her second stint in the food processing ministry - a cold chain in Ferozepur and a mini food park in Fazilka.