Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said it is his dream that Amritsar becomes a trade hub as a result of improvement of relations with Pakistan.
Improvement in relations with Pakistan could help improve trade in border areas of Punjab, including Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur leading to economic development of the region, Singh said addressing a Congress election rally in Amritsar.
It is my dream that Amritsar became a trade hub as a result of improvement of relations with Pakistan, he said. The benefit of improved relations in the future will help trade get a boost up to Central Asia, he said.
The Amritsar rally was Prime Minister''s first of the three election rallies he is scheduled to attend in the state. He will address a rally in Jalandhar later today while two meetings are scheduled in Patiala and Ludhiana tomorrow.
With a Congress government at the Centre the return of the ruling party to power in the state could further accelerate the pace of development under the leadership of Amarinder Singh, Singh said, according to a news report.
Outlining priorities for the state, he said Punjab needed a new Agriculture revolution. But at the same time it is also the time to take the state ahead on the industrialisation front for its overall development, he added.
The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said much has been done on development front in the last five years, including modernisation of railway stations, strengthening of telecommunication and laying of road network as also its improvement, but much more needs to be done.