ISB Updates
ISB hosts Sardar Manpreet Singh Badal, Minister of Finance, Government of Punjab
It is very rare to come across a politician who wears his heart on his sleeve, accepts failures, demonstrates his passionate erudition when he quotes Urdu poets, Winston Churchill, Alexander the great; recites lines and phrases from the books that inspired him; mingles with the audiences and inspires them to dream, achieve and give back to the nation. Sardar Manpreet Singh Badal, Finance Minister Government of Punjab, was an embodiment of all such virtues during his session at Mohali campus of ISB, recently.
With India on the verge of its 70th year of Independence in next three months, it was only fitting that Minister Badal chose Nation building and Dreams of India as the topic of his interaction. He was introduced by Pradeep Singh, CEO of the Mohali Campus.
“Our freedom fighters had laid down their lives so that their countrymen could live a life of dignity, honour and prosperity. But unfortunately those dreams have not been realised in spite of 70 years of independence,” said Minister Badal.
Addressing the gathering he said people sitting in the room were nation builders and there is a strong need to collectively pool in the resources of intellect and experiences to fight the real enemies of India - corruption, poverty, lack of access to education etc.
“We must fight these enemies and overcome them with our power of knowledge and compassion.” He urged the younger generations to give back to the society in some way. “In life one mostly learns to take, it is very difficult to give back, it would require a great deal of honor and commitment to give back to India’’, he said.
Talking in the current context and on his plans for Punjab, Minister Badal said, “We want to quickly industrialise Punjab. In last 60 years we have modelled our economy totally into growing cereal crops, but now we need to move green revolution eastwards. Punjab now should focus more on fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Punjab could be the dairy estate, the Denmark of India, not only in terms of milk but also in terms of cattle breeding.” He said that his government has set a target for next five years to make Punjab a catalyst in changing the shape of our economy.
As soon as the floor was opened for questions there was a flood of questions on various topics from the participants of MPPP, PGP students and guests. Minister Badal spoke on a variety of subjects, from Punjab politics to leadership to his government’s future plans, and so on. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Madhav LaL, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy.
With India on the verge of its 70th year of Independence in next three months, it was only fitting that Minister Badal chose Nation building and Dreams of India as the topic of his interaction. He was introduced by Pradeep Singh, CEO of the Mohali Campus.
“Our freedom fighters had laid down their lives so that their countrymen could live a life of dignity, honour and prosperity. But unfortunately those dreams have not been realised in spite of 70 years of independence,” said Minister Badal.
Addressing the gathering he said people sitting in the room were nation builders and there is a strong need to collectively pool in the resources of intellect and experiences to fight the real enemies of India - corruption, poverty, lack of access to education etc.
“We must fight these enemies and overcome them with our power of knowledge and compassion.” He urged the younger generations to give back to the society in some way. “In life one mostly learns to take, it is very difficult to give back, it would require a great deal of honor and commitment to give back to India’’, he said.
Talking in the current context and on his plans for Punjab, Minister Badal said, “We want to quickly industrialise Punjab. In last 60 years we have modelled our economy totally into growing cereal crops, but now we need to move green revolution eastwards. Punjab now should focus more on fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Punjab could be the dairy estate, the Denmark of India, not only in terms of milk but also in terms of cattle breeding.” He said that his government has set a target for next five years to make Punjab a catalyst in changing the shape of our economy.
As soon as the floor was opened for questions there was a flood of questions on various topics from the participants of MPPP, PGP students and guests. Minister Badal spoke on a variety of subjects, from Punjab politics to leadership to his government’s future plans, and so on. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Madhav LaL, Executive Director, Bharti Institute of Public Policy.
