HIGH IMPACT INVESTMENT ROAD SHOW BY CM GETS MASSIVE RESPONSE IN SOUTH KOREA DURING CONCLUDING DAY OF HIS VISIT

LEADING INDUSTRIAL GIANTS EVINCE KEEN INTEREST IN INVESTING IN THE STATE

Chandigarh, December 9:High-Impact Investment Road show by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, on concluding day of his South Korea visit saw massive participation by leading industrial giants, who evinced their keen interest in investing in the state.

Addressing the galaxy of business leaders, the Chief Minister highlighted Punjab’s transformation into a stable, transparent, and future-ready investment destination. He said that Punjab’s robust industrial ecosystem, reliable and cost-competitive power, peaceful labour relations, a talented, resilient and hardworking workforce, coupled with seamless connectivity to major markets makes it a most preferable investment destination. Bhagwant Singh Mann reiterated that Punjab’s governance model places the investor at the centre, ensuring predictability, efficiency, and full support throughout the business lifecycle.

The Chief Minister emphasized Punjab’s vision to build technology-driven, innovation-led, and mutually beneficial partnerships with South Korea across priority sectors. He reinforced the commitment of the Punjab government to welcome South Korean companies, promoting innovation-led industrial development, and building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that there is a huge scope for collaboration in varied sectors like manufacturing, technology, food processing, and research.

Sharing his vision, the Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to build a future of shared prosperity through strong economic and cultural ties. He said that Punjab is a land known for courage, resilience, hard work, entrepreneurship, creativity, and a strong sense of community adding that the state has always played a major role in India’s development especially in making the country self-reliant in food production. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that today Punjab is moving forward with a renewed vision to become a leading centre for modern industry, technology, and global collaboration.

The Chief Minister also showcased the state’s governance and regulatory reforms, including the FastTrack Punjab single-window system offering 173 services, auto-deemed approvals, PAN-based business identifiers, and amendments to the Punjab Right to Business Act enabling time-bound in-principle approvals. He also highlighted Punjab’s industrial infrastructure adding that over Rs 1.4 lakh crore of on ground investments which have already been facilitated through Invest Punjab. Meanwhile, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that his vision is simple and clear to make Punjab a preferred destination for global industry by offering stability in policy, speed in decision-making, and a governance system that respects the time and trust of investors.

The Chief Minister said that Punjab’s approach is based on partnership and working closely with industry, by understanding their needs and ensure that the government acts as a catalyst of growth. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Punjab has strengthened its infrastructure, expanded its industrial capacity and opened new avenues for investment. He said that partnership between government and industry is key to success and the state government firmly believes that industrial growth can only be achieved when we work as equal partners.

The Chief Minister called upon the investors to join the state at the 6th Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit scheduled from 13–15 March 2026 at the ISB Mohali campus. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the summit will showcase Punjab’s progress, bring together leading industrial players, and present new opportunities for partnership and collaboration. He reiterated that the Punjab Government is fully dedicated to further giving fillip to the industrial development in the state for which no stone will be left unturned.

Meanwhile, buoyed over the red carpet extended by the Chief Minister, the South Korean companies evinced keen interest in investing in the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann envisioned that such investments will not only create employment opportunities for the youth but will also further accelerate the state’s economic growth. He also assured fulsome support and cooperation to the South Korean investors by the state government on all the fronts adding that it is the need of the hour to give further impetus to industrial development in the state.

The Chief Minister said that this high-impact Investment Road show in Seoul as part of its international outreach to forge deeper economic partnerships with South Korea and attract high-quality investments into the state. He said that the event witnessed strong participation from corporate leaders, financial advisors, R&D organizations, trade associations, and members of the Indian and Punjabi Diaspora in Korea. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the road show attracted senior representatives from a wide range of Korean and international organizations, including Bloomberg, BRICS India Trade Pvt. Ltd., leading legal firms Kim & Chang and Shin & Kim LLC, the Korean Association of Senior Scientists and Engineers, KOTRA, Daeyoung Corp., Gawon International Co. Ltd, TagHive, the Punjabi Association of Korea, Inmac Global, among others.

The Chief Minister said that their participation demonstrated strong institutional interest in exploring business opportunities, partnerships, and deeper engagement with Punjab. Assuring them of full facilitation and a supportive business ecosystem, he extended a warm invitation to Korean industry leaders to participate in the Progressive Punjab Investors’ Summit 2026. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Seoul Roadshow marked an important milestone in Punjab’s international outreach and strengthened the state’s position as a trusted, future-ready destination for global investors.

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PUNJAB SCRIPTS HISTORY WITH FIRST SUCCESSFUL LIVER TRANSPLANT AT GOVERNMENT RUN INSTITUTE IN MOHALI

— HISTORICAL MILESTONE ACHIEVED AT PUNJAB INSTITUTE OF LIVER & BILIARY SCIENCES, MOHALI

— PATIENT RECOVERING WELL AFTER SURGERY PERFORMED ON NOVEMBER 27: HEALTH MINISTER DR BALBIR SINGH

— PUNJAB MAKING RAPID STRIDES IN PRIMARY, SECONDARY & TERTIARY HEALTHCARE

— RENAL TRANSPLANT FACILITY AT PATIALA AND ₹10L CASHLESS MUKH MANTRI SEHAT BIMA YOJNA BY COMING YEAR, ANNOUNCES HEALTH MINISTER

CHANDIGARH/SAS NAGAR, December 9:Marking a transformative leap in tertiary healthcare, the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has scripted history with the successful conduct of the first liver transplant surgery at a state-run institute Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS) in Mohali.

Presenting the successfully operated patient to the media on Tuesday, Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh, stated that this is the first time in Punjab's medical history that such a delicate and complex surgery has been accomplished successfully in a government institute. The Minister was accompanied by Principal Secretary Health Kumar Rahul.

He highlighted that this lifesaving intervention was provided to the patient at approximately Rs 12 lakhs, which costs around Rs 45-50 lakhs at the private hospitals. The transplant was performed on November 27, 2025, and the recipient is recovering well, expected to be discharged in a day or two, he added.

Congratulating the medical team led by Director of PILBS and Professor & Head of Hepatology Dr Virendra Singh and Professor & Head of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery Dr K Rajasekhar, the Health Minister termed this a major milestone for the institute.

Dr Balbir Singh also expressed profound gratitude to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for providing the organ from a brain-dead person from Haryana. He also extended heartfelt thanks to the donor's family for their exemplary act of organ donation, which has given a new lease of life to multiple individuals.

He said that the PILBS continues to expand its role as Punjab's first dedicated liver and biliary sciences centre, offering comprehensive care, advanced procedures, and 24x7 emergency and ICU services. An upcoming 175-bedded patient care block is also in the pipeline, further expanding the Institute's capacity and services, he added.

He said that the newly built Diagnostic Block is now operational with the installation of a Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) machine. The supply order for new CT scanner has already been placed, while, the tender process for a new MRI is in progress, and a new automated biochemistry analyser will be fully functional within one week. A state-of-the-art blood bank has also been established, which will be one of the most advanced in Punjab.

The Institute remains committed to becoming a world-class centre for clinical excellence, research, and training in hepatobiliary sciences.

The Minister emphasised that the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann led Government is systematically equipping all Government Medical Colleges with secondary and tertiary care facilities, including existing neuro and cardio labs.

He announced that Government Medical College, Patiala, is set to become the first state-run facility to offer renal transplantation by the coming year, he said, while adding that furthermore, all government medical colleges will soon be established as organ receiving centres.

Appealing to the public to pledge for organ donation, Dr Balbir Singh noted that Punjab, currently ranked 9th nationally with 20,000 registered donors, is poised to be among the top states in the country soon.

Reiterating the government's commitment to free treatment for all, the Health Minister said that Punjab Government has finalised the agencies for implementing the Rs 10 lakh cashless treatment under Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna and it will be formally launched across the state in January 2026.

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RTI Commission expresses displeasure over the conduct of a PCS officer

Chandigarh, December 9:The Punjab State Information Commission has expressed displeasure over the conduct of a PCS officer from the state.

Sharing details, a spokesperson of the Commission said that in case number 5555/2023, which was listed for hearing before State Information Commissioner Mrs. Pooja Gupta, the Regional Transport Officer Amritsar was summoned multiple times but did not appear before the Commission even once.

The spokesperson stated that despite the issuance of bailable warrants against this officer, he still failed to appear before the Commission.

The spokesperson further informed that due to non-compliance with the orders of the Commission, State Information Commissioner Mrs. Pooja Gupta has directed that the penalty previously imposed on the then officer (under whose tenure the RTI application was filed) be increased from ₹10,000 to ₹25,000.

In addition, the Commission has expressed displeasure over the current Regional Transport Officer, Khushdil Singh Sandhu, PCS, for his irresponsible behavior and failure to comply with the orders issued by the Punjab State Information Commission. The Commission has informed the Principal Secretary, Transport, about the non-compliance and the casual attitude of the RTI Wing of the Transport Department toward the Commission’s directions.