PATHANKOT: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today reiterated his government’s firm commitment to the holistic development of the border and Kandi region of the state, as he laid the foundation stone of Rs 800 crore integrated, state-of-the-art plant of M/S Varun Beverages Limited here.
The Chief Minister, who felicitated the people on Parkash Utsav of ninth Master of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji, described the project as a stepping stone for the region’s development, for which his government was striving through various industrial and economic initiatives and incentives.

The Chief Minister disclosed that in line with its thrust on the state’s industrial development, his government had so far inked 144 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth Rs 3700 crore with several companies.

Spread over 41.4 Acres, the plant, to be built in two phases, will provide direct and indirect employment to nearly 2000 people, thus giving a major boost to the economic activity in the region and also vitalize the local supplier/vendor base, the Chief Minister pointed out.

To be operational in 12 months, this will be the first integrated dairy, Juice and carbonated soft drinks plant in the country, which will use Fresh milk from local milk farmers, Juice from citrus fruits mostly grown in Punjab under Pepsi guidance, and concentrate made by Pepsi in Punjab at Channo, thus benefitting the local farmers and industry. At least 10,000 farmers would be benefitted by supplying milk for the plant, leading to augmentation of their income, he said, adding that similarly, litchi and citrus growers of the region would also gain through the project.