Investor Presentaiton

Chapter IV - Annual Development Programme attack. The vulnerability of the sector to external threats is large and needs to be managed through focused interventions to improve agriculture extension services, promote better and more resilient varieties of seeds and crops, etc. Further, several interventions are proposed for cushioning financial situation of small and medium level farmers through crop insurance, credit availability, etc. The services economy has probably been the hardest hit, with more than 70% of enterprises being impacted. The Government will have to invest and give substantial incentives for these businesses to re-orient the way they conduct business. The scope of the digital marketplace has suddenly seen a surge; however, it needs to be properly managed. For economic recovery and stability, the broad direction of Government's policy measures shall include initiatives such as ensuring access to credit and capital, initiatives for Ease of Doing Business, unlocking potential of land assets, establishment of SEZs and provision of trained labour force for industrial sector. In addition, the Government shall create private sector opportunities in the agri-sector and support female entrepreneurs. The Government shall enhance opportunities for MSMEs to grow and improve the quality of output Social Protection The pandemic caused severe hardships to the vulnerable segments of the population. RISE Punjab proposes provision of relief and social protection to the most vulnerable populations through EHSAAS Programme so that the registered beneficiaries are provided assistance in shortest possible time. The pandemic has shaken the public service delivery system and exposed some of the weak areas. One such area is identification of vulnerable segments of population. For example, one such segment is unregistered labour mostly working in informal sector or on a daily wage or piece rate and lost livelihood as a direct consequence of the economic tragedy. Other segments of vulnerable populations who were above the poverty line but the shock eroded their liquidity and pushed them under the poverty line are also not fully captured by existing datasets. The only reliable existing database, viz. NSER, is also almost a decade old and likely to be outdated. The pandemic has highlighted the necessity of developing 'Punjab Spatial Vulnerability Index' as an element of Shock-Responsive Social Protection Strategy to address issues raised due to COVID-19 and similar future shocks. Credible social protection initiatives require sustainable availability of funds. RISE Punjab has proposed establishment of a fund that can be built over the years to provide immediate one-off relief and regular support to vulnerable populations. Other initiatives proposed include contributory insurance schemes for workers in the informal sector. Punjab currently has over 37 million employed people; however, the number of registered workers is a paltry two million. The Strategy proposes to close this gap through regulatory measures and introducing worker self- registration programmes. Further, the strategy proposes initiating development projects that create jobs and small scale works to create economic opportunities for businesses as well as provide employment and livelihood opportunities for most affected workers and businesses. Minimum Core Health Capabilities Building minimum core capacities in the Health system to respond to crises and pandemic like COVID-19 has been identified as a critical pillar for Punjab's future strategy. Such crises require that all stakeholders and service providers to work together as neither public nor private sector alone can cater to the challenges especially when large size of population is exposed and vulnerable. Upgrading of laboratory infrastructure is another area identified for additional investment. Further, increasing coverage of immunisation to cover total population and improving Province's compliance status in real-time disease surveillance and reporting is another area of focus. The Strategy proposes establishing a 'One Health Council' for an integrated approach for deep-rooted health issues and outbreak of diseases. The proposed Council should have concerned stakeholders including agriculture, livestock, food safety, police, etc. Moreover, the Framework addresses the issues and complications caused by zoonotic diseases and highlights the work that needs to be undertaken for to prevent them. Food safety, biosafety, and biosecurity are other areas that the Government will now be inevitably focussing on. The Government will have invest to upgrade health facilities across Punjab, thereby serving the cause of Regional Equalization too. Governance Capabilities Implementing new targeted interventions and responding to bigger challenges will require substantial improvements in governance capabilities. A first critical step is the ability of the Government to engage meaningfully with a variety of representative stakeholders. For this, the Government plans to establish an 'online feedback mechanism', which will be a technology-driven solution to help the Government conduct meaningful policy dialogues with all stakeholders. Punjab has been leading the e-governance drive; however, there are still certain gaps. In Page 42

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