The Punjab government's walk-to-work scheme, which was aimed at offering next-to-workplace housing to company employees to attract investments, has not clicked with corporate players. This assessment is based on the feedback the government has received from top industrialists, who have expressed their reservations over the scheme. The state government had devised this concept to encourage industry to invest in Punjab, and this clause was to be incorporated in the proposed industrial policy. Top officials in the government say a number of corporate players were of the view that the scheme can breed discontentment among company employees, since the policy may or may not be in practice in other states, where firms may have similar business interests. The industry is apprehensive that such an initiative, howsoever prudent it may be, could result in disparity, affecting work standards, an official said. A high-level delegation of the Punjab government, headed by Industry Minister Manoranjan Kalia, has recently returned from a trip to Bangalore and other places in the south. A senior official, who accompanied the delegation, told The Indian Express that the government broached the concept with leading firms, including Wipro, which raised concerns over implementation and ownership. Notably, with this scheme, the government also aimed at easing out pressure on infrastructure and transport system. The industry, under the scheme, will be prohibited from selling off the dwelling units. Kalia said, "The industry has its own viewpoint. The government had planned this option for the growth of industry."
