| That region of Punjab (Doab region) and Himachal (Kangra Valley) is heavily industrialized. When the COVID lockdowns in India kicked into enforcement, factories shut down, and millions of migrant workers from Eastern UP and Bihar left. The area in the Doab and Kangra regions was better simply because factories shut down and haven't returned, fueling a localized recession that has resurrected the ghost of Khalistan, exacerbated the Heroin epidemic in the region, and further incentivized the (by Indian standards) highly educated and economically well off local population to emigrate to "Kaneda", "Noo Jeeland", and "Oostralia". Hopefully with the massive $1.3 billion API/Pharmaceutial precursor industrial park the BJP and Congress Party are building together in that area [0] along with the high speed rail [1] making the commute time to Greater Chandigarh (the largest city and economy north of Delhi) and New Delhi doable within 1 hour and 2.5 hours respectively, we might see an economic recovery. Source: extended family live in the region [0] - https://www.outlookindia.com/outlook-spotlight/department-of... [1] - https://m.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/new-delhi-una-vande... |