Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, while addressing the pre-budget consultation meeting with representatives of the textile, food processing, and other industries from Panipat, Sonipat, and Karnal on Wednesday, said that Panipat is a historic city of weavers, and its textile industry has brought recognition not only to Haryana but to the entire country.
He said that Panipat is also rapidly emerging as a major food processing hub. Keeping this in view and responding to the demands of various industry organizations, he announced that an international-level textile institute will be established in Panipat, for which 10 acres of land will be made available. The institute will provide technical expertise as per international standards. He further stated that on the demand of industry associations, the validity of the Haryana Aatmanirbhar Textile Policy has been extended by one year, up to 18th December 2026.
He said that today, the food processing industry is acting as a strong bridge between farmers and consumers across the state. It plays a crucial role in ensuring better prices for farmers’ produce, connecting them with modern technology, and making agriculture a profitable enterprise. Referring to Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister said that the Prime Minister had stated that just as a loom weaves multiple threads together, the textile sector is connecting India with the entire world. He also mentioned the Prime Minister’s Five-F vision—Farm to Fibre, Fibre to Factory, Factory to Fashion, and Fashion to Foreign—and said that Haryana is committed to realizing this Five-F vision. Under capital investment subsidy, there will now be no limit on the number of cases. All eligible entrepreneurs will be supported by the government.
Under the Haryana Aatmanirbhar Textile Policy, 354 applications have been received, and grants worth ₹367 crore have already been approved. This policy reflects the trust of all entrepreneurs. He said that the Prime Minister has called upon the world to move towards holistic health and sustainability. Globally, there is increasing demand for chemical-free and naturally dyed textiles. Expressing confidence, he said that Panipat district can become a global leader in this direction. People here are no longer confined to traditional practices but are adopting innovations such as waste-to-wealth, and antibacterial towels.
The Chief Minister urged all exporters to move beyond selling only traditional products. He said it is essential to understand global market culture and demand. The government wants that when Panipat’s textiles reach Europe or America, the label “Made in India” and “Made in Haryana” should become a global guarantee of quality. For this, research in new areas such as medical textiles and technical textiles is required. Special provisions are being made for this in the budget. In collaboration with the National Technical Textile Mission, subsidies are being provided in Haryana for new machinery and training. In the 2025–26 budget, the state government made special provisions for women’s skill development so that women workers do not remain limited to labor roles but advance into designing and management. Over the past 10 years, FDI in textiles has doubled. In the future, Panipat, Gurugram, and Faridabad will collectively work to make Haryana a global export hub.
He said that due to increasing population, growing urbanization, and health-conscious consumers, the demand for high-quality food products is continuously rising. To meet this demand, the food processing industry needs to be expanded further. The food processing industry in the country has grown to approximately ₹35 lakh crore and is expected to reach around ₹73 lakh crore by 2032. Therefore, there are vast opportunities for investment and growth in this sector. More than 28,000 food processing units have already been established in Haryana.
He said that Haryana has immense potential for this industry. To provide capital investment subsidy to the food processing sector, the state government notified four major infrastructure schemes on 12th June 2019. Under the first scheme, subsidies are provided for the establishment, expansion, and diversification of food processing units. It offers 25 percent capital investment subsidy on project cost—up to ₹50 lakh in A and B blocks, and up to ₹1 crore in C and D blocks. The second scheme is the Backward and Forward Linkage Scheme, under which 50 percent capital investment subsidy is provided—up to ₹2.5 crore in A and B blocks and up to ₹3.5 crore in C and D blocks. For reefer vehicles and other mobile infrastructure, assistance of 50 percent of capital investment is provided, up to ₹50 lakh per project. The third scheme provides subsidies for integrated cold chain and value addition infrastructure, ranging from 35 to 45 percent of project cost, with assistance up to ₹5 crore for storage infrastructure, packaging houses, transport infrastructure, value addition, and processing infrastructure. The fourth scheme is the Integrated Mini Food Park Scheme, under which 50 percent capital investment subsidy is provided, up to ₹10 crore, only in C and D category blocks.
He said that as the state moves rapidly towards realizing the vision of a developed India and developed Haryana, its real strength lies in industrial sector associations, which act as a bridge between policy and ground realities. Solving the problems of these associations is a priority of the government, and their suggestions will serve as guiding principles.
Assuring everyone, Chief Minister Nayab Singh said that all suggestions will be worked upon seriously. He said that more suggestions can be submitted to the government over the next 8–10 days. He requested the attendees to listen to the presentation of the 2026–27 budget in the Legislative Assembly. Those whose valuable suggestions are included in the 2026–27 budget will be specially invited by the government to witness the Assembly proceedings.
On this occasion, Development and Panchayats Minister Krishan Lal Panwar, Industries Minister Rao Narbir Singh, Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda, Agriculture Minister Shyam Singh Rana, Food and Supplies Minister Rajesh Nagar, Panipat Urban MLA Parmod Vij, Mayor Komal Saini, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, Principal Secretary Arun Kumar Gupta, Secretary and Commissioner of Industries Department, Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal, Industry Department Coordinator Sunil Sharma, along with senior administrative officers and representatives from the industry sector, were present.
Haryana Government Reopens HKRNL Portal for Uploading Data of Contractual Employees
The Haryana Government has decided to reopen the portal of Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam Limited (HKRNL) for uploading data of eligible contractual employees, in view of repeated requests from departments, boards and corporations.
According to an official order issued by the Chief Secretary’s Office, the HKRNL portal will be reopened to allow uploading of details of contractual manpower who were engaged on or before March 31, 2022 and are still in service. The decision has been taken to enable such employees to avail benefits under the Haryana Contractual Employees Job Security Act, 2024.
The order states that earlier instructions dated August 13, 2024 had allowed the opening of the HKRNL portal up to September 30, 2024. However, as several departments and public undertakings could not upload complete data within the stipulated time, the government has now approved reopening of the portal.
It has been further clarified that a separate window will be opened up to February 20, 2026 exclusively for contractual employees of departments, boards and corporations whose approval has already been obtained from the Finance Department, as per provisions of the Deployment of Contractual Persons Policy, 2022. A copy of the Finance Department’s approval will be uploaded on the HKRNL portal, following which the portal will be opened for the concerned department.
Government’s New Initiatives to Make Haryana a Hub of Innovation: CM Nayab Singh Saini
Government Committed to Giving Stronger Financial and Technical Support to Startups: CM
CM Interacts with Entrepreneurs at Pre-Budget Meeting in Manesar
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, while interacting with startup founders and entrepreneurs during a pre-budget consultation programme held today in Manesar, said that young innovators and startups are giving a new direction to Haryana’s economy.
The Chief Minister said ‘National Startup Day’ was celebrated on January 16, and today’s pre-budget consultation is a continuation of that celebration. Referring to the vision of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, he said, “Startup India is not merely a government scheme, but a ‘Rainbow Vision’ that connects different sectors with new possibilities.”
He said a startup is an idea that needs to be given a concrete shape. It is a small seed which, with the right support, can grow into a huge tree.
On this occasion, Haryana’s Industries and Commerce Minister Sh. Rao Narbir Singh, Minister of State for Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Sh. Gaurav Gautam, and Gurugram MLA Sh. Mukesh Sharma were present.
The Chief Minister said with the resolve to make the country developed by the year 2047, the government is continuously working at a fast pace. He said that major and historic changes are being witnessed in the country today. Whether it is road and transport infrastructure or other developmental projects, India is moving ahead at an unprecedented speed. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the country has taken a new direction of development, and progress is clearly visible in every sector.
Emphasis on Funding and Technical Support
Welcoming the suggestions given by startup founders, the Chief Minister said that ideas received on issues such as ‘ease of doing business’, ‘funding’, and ‘technical support’ have been noted. He said, “No matter how small an idea may be, if it has the strength and vision, it does not take long to change the world.”
The Chief Minister informed that over the past 10 years, the number of startups in the country has increased from 500 to more than 2 lakh. Haryana has played a leading role in this growth, especially Gurugram and Manesar. Haryana now has more than 9,500 startups and ranks seventh in the country in this regard. Additionally, 19 unicorns have emerged from Haryana.
Haryana AI Mission to be established
Sharing details of key steps taken in the Budget 2025–26, the Chief Minister said that the future belongs to Artificial Intelligence (AI). With this vision, the Haryana Government has proposed the establishment of the ‘Haryana AI Mission’, for which an assurance of assistance of Rs. 474 crore has been received from the World Bank. Under this mission, one AI hub each will be set up in Gurugram and Panchkula, where 50,000 youth will be trained in new technologies.
He said to promote research in colleges and universities, the ‘Haryana State Research Fund’ has been established with an initial corpus of Rs. 20 crore. Along with this, a ‘Fund of Funds’ of Rs. 2,000 crore has also been created.
The Chief Minister said that to encourage startups, financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakh per startup is being provided through HSIIDC, and the ‘Mukhyamantri Kaushal Samman Yojana’ has been launched. The ‘Haryana State Startup Policy–2022’ is in force in the state, and recently, financial assistance of Rs. 1.14 crore has been provided to 22 startups.
He said that the startup culture will no longer remain limited to big cities. From the academic session 2025–26, ‘entrepreneurship competitions’ will be organized in every district, in which selected teams will be given financial assistance of Rs. 1 lakh by the government to convert their ideas into business models.
Considering Manesar as an industrial hub, the Chief Minister said that ‘incubation centres’ will be established in all industrial estates of HSIIDC so that startups can be provided workspaces at affordable rates. For this purpose, land has already been identified by HSIIDC in three IMT areas.
Reiterating the Prime Minister’s vision, the Chief Minister said, “Risk-taking has now become mainstream. Earlier, people were afraid to take risks, but today, not taking risks is considered the biggest risk.”
The Chief Minister expressed pride that more than 50 percent of startups in Haryana have at least one woman director, and the government is committed to supporting women entrepreneurs at every step.
He said that startups and young innovators working in different sectors across the country are the identity of New India. Whether it is the space sector or the defence sector, Haryana’s youth are making their strong presence felt in every field.
The Chief Minister made two requests to everyone—first, to send their suggestions through the chatbot within the next 8 to 10 days; and second, to listen to the Budget 2026–27 when it is presented in the Legislative Assembly.
He said those whose suggestions are included in the budget will be sent special invitations to witness the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly, so that they can personally see that the government has honoured their suggestions.
On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department, Sh. Vineet Garg; Additional Chief Secretary, Citizen Resources Information Department, Smt. G. Anupama; Principal Secretary, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Department, Sh. Rajiv Ranjan; Commissioner and Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Dr. Amit Kumar Agrawal; Director General, Industries and Commerce Department, Sh. Yash Garg; and OSD to the Chief Minister, Dr. Raj Nehru, were also present.
