By -Vish Viswanathan
With no doubt “MAKE IN INDIA” one of the visionary projects of the Indian Prime Minister Modi has not only taken off very well but now emerged globally accepted reality. This was quite evident at the “Make in India Week” event held at the MMRDA Grounds at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai from 13 February 2016.
The weeklong multi-sectoral industrial was attended by 2500 international and 8000 domestic, foreign government delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 countries. Many Indian states also held expos. At the close of the event, Department of Industrial policy & Promotion (DIPP) Secretary, Government of India Amitabh Kant stated that it had received over ₹15.2 lakh crore (US$220 billion) worth of investment commitments and investment inquiries worth ₹1.5 lakh crore (US$22 billion). Maharashtra led all other states receiving ₹8 lakh crore (US$120 billion) of investments.
“We have already opened the economy across sectors to the world. We’re now showcasing, connecting and collaborating for manufacturing in the country,” Kant said, adding that the summit is not about manufacturing alone, but innovation and nurturing inventors.
Inaugurating the first MAKE IN INDIA week Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13 said “We are working to make India a global manufacturing hub, and have launched ‘Make in India’ to create employment opportunities in India. India is blessed with 3 ‘Ds’, Democracy, Demography and demand, to this we have added another D “Deregulation”. We are committed to make India an easy place to do business, want share of manufacturing in GDP to go up to 25%. In 2015, India contributed 12.5% to GDP. This is the best time ever to be in India & it is even better to Make in India”
The opening ceremony was also attended by Prime Ministers of Sweden and Finland and many ministers from Central and State Governments, Industry leaders and international business delegations.
The MAKE IN INDIA Week also saw a very good leadership by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Mr Devendra Fadnavis in not only in the successful organisation and delivery of the week but also in his vision for Maharashtra and India. Mr. Fadnavis stated that in his state “there are seven crores of young, educated and talented people. Agriculture is a prominent sector of the State. By connecting the Agricultural sector with other service sectors and industry combined with skill development through a seamless process, jobs will be created for these young people”. Such a vision also supported by many Ministers and Industry leaders present on the occasion. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra also announced key policies such as Single Window Policy, Retail Trade Policy etc. to the huge applause by the audience.
Almost all the speakers also complimented the Chief Minister Fadnavis for his very efficient and timely handling of the huge fire accident on 14th Feb at the opening cultural night at Girgaum Beach. Luckily, there was no human loss.
There was also an Australian session on 15th February at MMRDA grounds on “Partnering with India – on skills, Technology, investment and Resources. Several speakers addressed opportunities in key sectors such as Agribusiness, Mining, Industrial design and Smart Cities, Infrastructure, manufacturing, Gas, Pharmaceutical research etc.
MAKE IN INDIA Week thus demonstrated now INDIA INC is ready for global business.