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Meeting No: 2515 687 7167
Password: punjab

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Abstract

Punjab, a northern state in India, is known as the "Granary of India" for its significant contribution to the country's wheat and rice production. Despite its agricultural strengths, Punjab faces economic challenges, including stagnant growth, declining productivity, and rising farmer indebtedness. The state's industrial sector, centered on manufacturing and small-scale industries, also faces competition and modernization challenges. Recent efforts focus on diversifying the economy, promoting agro-processing, and improving infrastructure. Punjab's economy remains vulnerable to environmental challenges, policy shifts, and socio-economic disparities, necessitating strategic reforms for sustainable growth. The panel shall analyse the prospects of growth of Punjab in the future amidst these challenges.

About the Speakers

Upinder Sahwney

Upinder Sawhney is an Expert at EGROW Foundation. She is a distinguished economist and a former professor at Panjab University, Chandigarh. She served as Chair of the Department of Economics from 2007-2010 and 2016-2019, and has extensively published on Indian economic public policy in both national and international journals. She led various international and domestic projects, including the Government of India's Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) with Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, and University of Wurzburg, Germany, titled "Macroeconomic Effects of Ageing in India – Lessons from European Union," and a World Bank-sponsored Budgetary Analysis at the State Level, 2004-05. She contributed to various committees, such as the Fourteenth Finance Commission and the Regional Direct Taxes Advisory Committee.

Sawhney has been involved in various advisory and editorial roles in multiple academic journals and boards of studies. She was a Visiting Scholar at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and supervised and hosted a Fulbright fellow from the University of Florida. Her accolades include the DAAD-UGC Fellowship and the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship.

Ranjit Singh Ghuman

Ranjit Singh Ghuman is a Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University. He previously served as a Professor at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) in Chandigarh and Punjabi University, Patiala. His academic expertise includes Advanced Economic Theory, International Economics, Development Economics, and the Global Economy. Professor Ghuman's research interests encompass the Economics of Water, Drug Abuse, Addiction in India etc.

Sandeep Kaur

Dr. Sandeep Kaur is a Professor in the Department of Economic Studies at Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, India. Her research and teaching cover International Economics, Environmental Degradation in agriculture, and Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She has guided seven PhD students and 31 M.Phil. students, with seven PhD scholars currently under her mentorship. Dr. Kaur is leading the SERB-DST project “Re-examining the Socio-Economic Externalities of Groundwater Depletion in Central Punjab,” due for completion in June 2025. Her research includes the Gravity Model of Trade and the externalities of environmental degradation in agriculture. She has published 26 papers in prestigious journals and attended international conferences in Denmark, Canada, Bangladesh, and Cameroon, supported by an Indo-Canadian Shastri Travel Grant. She has completed seven research projects on diverse issues and received Central University of Punjab’s Outstanding Researcher award in Humanities and Social Sciences for 2018-19, 2021-22, and 2022-23.