Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Piyush Goyal encourages auto industry to make India more self-reliant and promote exports

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal encouraged the auto industry to make India more self-reliant and explore opportunities for promoting exports. While addressing the 63rd Annual Convention of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) as the Chief Guest today in New Delhi, the Minister said that India’s auto industry that has become the 3rd largest ecosystem in the world must aspire and work towards becoming the largest in the world.

Shri Piyush Goyal highlighted the significant achievement of the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration being adopted on the first day of the G20 Summit under India’s Presidency of G20. He said that this is a matter of pride for all the Indians as it showcases the growing stature of India at the global level.

Shri Goyal highlighted the 3Ds: Democracy, Demographic Dividend and Diversity of India that we should be proud of. He said that these 3Ds will help the automobile industry to grow faster and make its future a bright one, gradually adopting Aatma Nirbharta in a big way. The Minister noted that the auto industry has reduced its import dependence but there is further scope for localization. He urged all the players of the auto industry to introspect on this issue.

The Minister urged the stakeholders of the auto industry to explore the idea of apprenticeship and expand the skilled workforce available for the industry. He emphasised that the programme may look into the aspects such as skilling & upskilling and training the youth with a certification, so that they enter the industry as a valuable resource. He said that this programme can lead to better quality and productivity. Shri Goyal emphasised that the apprenticeship programme has tremendous potential to help the youth especially as it provides them stipend while undergoing skill development.

Shri Goyal highlighted that the aspirational youth of the country who have two wheelers today aspire to have a four wheeler as they grow up their economic prosperity. The Minister said that India has joined the club of the countries in the world today where the basic needs, the aspirations of food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education are being met. He highlighted the various welfare initiatives undertaken by the Government for affordable housing for all, healthcare, digital connectivity, road connectivity, electricity, cooking gas connections and piped water supply. He said that things are changing and we want them to change at a faster pace.

Shri Goyal said that the auto industry is expected to witness exponential demand growth. He asked the industry to provide information on the products coming in to see if there is a level playing field between Indian suppliers and overseas suppliers. He urged the SCALE Committee (Steering Committee for Advancing Local Value-Add and Exports) to reassess the requirement of imported goods and encourage research and development in the industrial sector to make India Self-Reliant and a sourcing hub for the rest of the world.

Shri Goyal appreciated the efforts of the industry inching towards Amrit Kaal and Self Reliance of New India. The Minister emphasised on India becoming more relevant for world’s growth and said that more Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will be entered into to establish extraordinary results while entering bigger and better markets. The Minister lauded the significant achievements of Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1. Shri Goyal concluded by quoting Swami Vivekananda that, “If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished – mountains can be crumbled into atoms.”

***

AD/VN