TEXT: The establishment of 'Punjab Public Private Partnership (PPPP) Authority' clearly signifies the seriousness on the part of government for reckoning PPP as a quint essential mode of development. In today's times of high pressure, accounting to economic challenges and high public expectations, this is right time to see elsewhere in the capital markets for timely financing of the requisite infrastructure in the country. Apart of this, PPP is globally recognized as a catalyst that may ensure a quality based long-term service delivery to general public. In this regard, the most critical challenge is to restore the confidence of investors and private sector stakeholders on PPPs for their proactive response against the government's initiatives in the domain of policy and institutional arrangement.

I strongly believe that in the given circumstances, PPP projects can be created in a variety of sectors including but not limited to roads, transport, energy, industry, water and other social sectors e.g. health and education etc. However, the most immediate prerequisite is the development of consensus among wide range of stakeholders in terms of shared vision, transparency, incentives and robust delivery of service at grass root level. In this perspective, Punjab PPP Authority is fully cognizant of its futuristic role as well as multi-faceted responsibilities and expresses its unconditional resolve to register a success story in the realm of Public Private Partnerships in Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021