Manmohan Singh to visit Punjab

Chandigarh -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Punjab Wednesday on a two-day state visit.

The visit is being seen as a move by the ruling Congress in Punjab to kick off its poll campaign for the assembly elections in February-March.

Manmohan Singh is scheduled to inaugurate several projects, including a freight corridor, at the industrial city of Ludhiana and flag off the Amritsar-Hardwar Jan Shatabdi train. He is also to address a public rally at Ludhiana.

The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at Mohali, 10 km from here.

A visit to the Fieldfresh group's modern agricultural farm at Ladowal, near Ludhiana, is also on Manmohan Singh's itinerary. He is to see the farm-to-fork project launched by the company, which has been floated by the Bharti Telecom group.

Ruling Congress leaders here said the visit would boost the party's prospects in the forthcoming assembly polls as several projects were being implemented at the ground level and would be inaugurated by the prime minister.

Manmohan Singh will also address chief ministers of northern states at a conference organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here Thursday.