Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday said his government is moving aggressively to reach out to embassies of various nations looking to shift their manufacturing out of China.
Replying to questions during today’s edition of his Facebook Live programme `#AskCaptain’, the CM said the state is in talks with various embassies and offering them all possible support, in terms of land, infrastructure and other facilities.
With an eye on the post-Covid revival of the state’s economy, his government has written to embassies of various countries in this regard and is engaged in talks with Japan, Korean and Taiwanese embassies in India, said Amarinder.
Meanwhile, with 80 thousand Punjabis headed home from abroad and other states, the CM said his government would not rely on any certificates of Covid-19 testing from any part of the country or the world.
He cited Punjab’s experience with those who came from Maharashtra and Rajasthan, as well as the more recent case of Dubai, from where Punjabis coming back had tested positive despite carrying medical certificates showing them to be negative.
Ruling out any complacency despite Punjab posting recovery rate of 90 per cent, Amarinder said there is a likelihood of infection coming here from Punjabis returning from other countries and states, but the state is taking no chances and has made elaborate arrangements for their testing and quarantine.
Five flights have come today, and a total of 20000 people are expected to come from other countries on 88 flights, while 60000 are expected from other states.
“I will not let this infection spread any further in Punjab,” he said adding all those coming to the state, including via domestic flights, trains and buses, would have to undergo compulsory home quarantine for 14 days.
Underlining the need for strict caution, the CM said: “we will not let the pandemic spread further in Punjab, which has so far managed to keep the situation under excellent control”.
“Given the way we have controlled the situation, we will not need a strict lockdown again,” he said, in response to a question.
The CM said of those migrants who had applied for online registration, nearly half had willingly decided to stay back and also started working in the industry. Of the total 2.56 lakh industries in the state, 1.5 lakh have already resumed operations, he added.