Continuing the Punjab Government’s efforts to seek expert input for strengthening the state’s industrial policy and enhancing ease of doing business, Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora on Tuesday announced the creation of 15 additional sectoral committees, taking the total to 24. This marks the final list of committees under the initiative.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Sanjeev Arora said the newly constituted panels bring together members from diverse industrial fields and will function as think tanks to suggest sector-specific policy reforms. The new committees will focus on the IT sector, bicycle industry, auto and auto components, electric vehicles, renewable energy, steel and rolling mills, plastic and chemical products, logistics and warehousing, film media, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, universities and coaching institutions, hospitals and healthcare, startups, retail, and electronics systems design and manufacturing (ESDM).
Minister Sanjeev named the chairpersons for each sector, including Pratap Aggarwal (IT), Onkar Singh Pahwa (Bicycle Industry), Paritosh Garg (Auto & Auto Components), Inderveer Singh (Electric Vehicles), Ashish Kumar (Renewable Energy), Sachit Jain (Steel & Rolling Mills), Abhi Bansal (Plastic & Chemical Products), Ashwani Nayar (Logistics & Warehousing), Dinesh Auluck (Film Media), Varinder Gupta (Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology), Dr. Jaspal Singh Sandhu (Universities & Coaching Institutions), Dr. Bishav Mohan (Hospitals & Health Care), Mamta Bhardwaj (Startups), Umang Jindal (Retail), and Dr. Kamaljeet Singh (ESDM).
Minister Sanjeev Arora said each committee’s mandate is to prepare a customised industrial framework for its sector, keeping Punjab’s unique industrial ecosystem, structural factors, and fiscal realities in mind. Committees are expected to study policies from other states and recommend a “best-in-class” model for Punjab, with written submissions due by October 1, 2025.
Each committee will have a chairperson and industry members representing varied sizes, scales, geographies, and sub-sectors. Additional members may be added as required. The committees will receive secretariat support from their designated Member-Secretary, while the GM District Industries Centre and sector officers from the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion will provide administrative assistance.
Earlier, the state had formed nine other committees for sectors such as spinning and weaving, apparels, dyeing and finishing units, sports/leather goods, machine/hand tools, food processing and dairy, tourism and hospitality, heavy machinery, and furniture and ply industry.