Government of the Punjab, Planning and Development Department (P&DD), in collaboration with the World Bank Group has launched Punjab Jobs & Competitiveness (J&C) Program to improve the investment climate and promote investments and jobs in more inclusive and sustainable industrial estates in Punjab. J&C is a flagship Program of the Government of Punjab with a total funding of USD 100 million over five years in a budgetary support form. The Program has been linked with achievement of agreed Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) to be implemented by multiple Implementing Agencies/Departments.
Result Areas
The two result areas are discussed briefly below:
Investment Climate Reforms
The Program will support reforms to reduce the cost and risks of doing business, improve laws affecting labor, in particular to facilitate women’s employment, and promote investments by foreign investors.
Key objectives include:
- Reduction in the cost and risks of doing business.
- Compliance with GSP+ labor conventions.
- Improved investment promotion.
Spatial Development
Key objectives include:
The Program will support the upgrading and development of industrial infrastructure through a private sector-led competitive process informed by the Punjab Spatial Strategy. The Program will also facilitate access to world class knowledge to high growth potential industrial clusters:
- Improved public investment process to support industrial and urban development.
- Improved support to industrial infrastructure through Public Private Partnerships.
- New institutional set up to support industrial estates and clusters.
Interventions
The key interventions under this Program are as follows:
- Improvement in aggregate doing business performance for Punjab in four doing business indicators which include business registration, property registration, construction permits and contract enforcement view details
- Improve compliance with GSP+ labor conventions
- Investment promotion related activities i.e. investor outreach plans, investor database and announcements etc
- Development of Spatial Strategy to help prioritize public infrastructure investments, institutional development
- Promote private sector led industrial estates and sustainable CETPs
- Institutional Development to improve public support to industrial clusters
Program Development Objectives
To improve the investment climate and promote investment and jobs in more inclusive and sustainable industrial estates in Punjab view details
- Disbursement Linked Indicators
- Implementation Arrangements of J&C Program
- Steering Committe