CARGOCONNECT JULY2024 - Flipbook - Page 8
FRONTLINE
NARENDRA MODI
Prime Minister of India
PIYUSH GOYAL
Union Minister for Commerce
and Industry
ASHWINI
VAISHNAW
Union Minister for Railways,
I&B, Electronics and IT
RAJESH KUMAR
SINGH
Secretary, Department for
Promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade
India is among the first few countries to formulate a
National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence (AI). On the
basis of this strategy, this year we have launched AI
Mission. It is derived from the mantra "AI for All”. As a
founding member and lead chair of the Global
Partnership for AI, we are promoting cooperation among
all countries. During the G-20 Summit hosted by India
last year, we emphasised the importance of international
governance in the field of AI. In the times to come, we
will continue to work together with all countries to make
AI transparent, fair, secure, accessible and responsible.
India's approach in the field of energy is also based on
four principles – availability, accessibility, affordability
and acceptability. India is the first country to fulfil all
the commitments made under COP before time. And we
are making every effort to fulfil our commitment to
achieve the target of Net Zero by 2070.
We are confident that this year we will have over
US$800 billion exports and it will be a historic record.
The ministry is working on specifics with Indian missions
abroad and export promotion councils. In such a
situation it's a positive sign that our exports are growing
(9 per cent growth in May) and...this also reflects that
the world wants to do trade and investments with India.
The global situation is serious as war is still ongoing
between Ukraine-Russia and Israel-Hamas, and the Red
sea crisis. There are also elections in some of the major
democracies like in Europe. Last year, the current
account deficit (CAD) has also reduced...our exports will
increase, manufacturing will get a boost. The country’s
import dependence will reduce as the oil economy gets
replaced with electric vehicles. The focus is now on
plantation boards such as rubber, tea, spices and
coffee, and how to increase their production,
value addition and improve quality.
The drafting of the rules for the Digital Personal
Data Protection (DPDP) Act is "in very advanced stages,"
and the government will start consultations with the
industry on the subject very soon. We will be as
extensive as we can. We will not rush through and
prefer a consultative process. In parallel, we are
working on creating a digital by-design platform, so
that the implementation can be done in a digital form.
We will make lots of changes based on what the
industry, stakeholders, and so many other
organisations, including lawyers, user groups and
consultants. We will take all their views into
consideration. We have been directing them primarily to
the OEM (original equipment manufacturers) so that the
component manufacturers and they (OEM) have
synergy. That is working well. That way, the component
ecosystem will also increase the local value-addition
plans of the government.
Due to the various initiatives by the government,
including the National Toy Action Plan, the higher import
duty combined with mandatory quality control orders,
the dumping of substandard toys in the toy industry and
in India has shown significant growth in the last two
years. This initiative is part of that ongoing initiative to
ensure that more and more of our products from our toy
industry find access to national and international
markets through major retailers like Flipkart and
Amazon. The country's toy exports have touched
US$325.72 million in 2022-23 from US$96.17 million in
2014-15 as the government is providing all-around
support for creating a conducive manufacturing
ecosystem. Imports of toys dipped from US$332.55
million in 2014-15 to US$158.7 million in 2022-23.
The ministry is diligently pursuing the proposal of
extending fiscal incentives under the PLI scheme
for the sector.
8 | CARGOCONNECT JULY 2024
NITIN GADKARI
Union Minister for Road
Transport and Highways
SARBANANDA
SONOWAL
Union Minister for Ports,
Shipping & Waterways
The automobile industry should start preparing for
the next-generation emission norms, or BS7, proactively,
to keep in line with the upcoming Euro 7 norms that are
set to be implemented in European Union countries from
2025. Our industry should be at par with our European
counterparts. Manufacturers should start at their own
level to carry out research for the manufacturing of BS7
vehicles. Last time, the government had to set the
deadline and push the industry to comply. The industry
also delivered. But why should the industry always wait
for us to make such a decision? Research work needs to
be done on ways to cut down the dependence on fossil
fuels as that will also help in reducing ecological and
environmental issues. By using different technologies,
India will be in a strong position, and a day will come
in 5 years when the country will be an exporter of
bio-aviation fuel.
As the primary and majority logistical ministry of the
country, it is imminent that we must chalk out a
roadmap where we will have a network of modern
ports, acting as catalysts of progress and prosperity
and creating opportunities for the country. Our
endeavour is to innovate continuously to build capacity,
bring quality and enhance performance of our ports, to
build a robust Indian maritime sector. The Ministry of
Ports, Shipping and Waterways plays a pivotal role in
the economic growth of the country. As custodians, we
have a tremendous opportunity to contribute to the
ideal of ‘Nation First’ and innovate constantly to amplify
performance of our ports based on quality and
efficiency. We must embrace cutting edge technologies,
sustainable practices, and strategic collaborations to
achieve these crucial goals and keep our marine
sector competitive & resilient in a rapidly
evolving market space.
Semiconductor is a strategic industry. It is a basic
requirement for electronics and automobile
manufacturing. Both these sectors generate lots of
employment. I greatly appreciate the semiconductorrelated initiatives taken by the Prime Minister’s Office
and will work towards fulfiling them through my
ministry. The Aatma Nirbhar Bharat concept is a lifeline
for the industry sector. In that regard, my team and I are
working. Additionally, we will consider measures under
the 2017 Steel Policy. The Prime Minister’s dream is to
produce 300 million tonnes of steel annually. Many
programmes have already been launched to achieve
that goal Bringing the semiconductor sector to India is
strategic; we require it. Parallelly, we have to create
HD KUMARASWAMY jobs for the second-line sector, our small-scale
Union Minister for Heavy
industry. We are thinking about it and working
Industries and Public
on it.
Enterprises
JB SINGH
Director,
MOVIN Express
The pivotal role of logistics services in driving
the growth and success of Micro, Small, and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) in India cannot be overstated.
The government's comprehensive initiatives to bolster
MSMEs’ global competitiveness through regulatory
enhancements, financial support such as credit
schemes and subsidies, technology integration, and
targeted training programmes highlight the
commitment to enhancing India's economic strength
worldwide. These initiatives not only aim to enhance
operational efficiency but also catalyze the expansion
of larger enterprises by creating a conducive
ecosystem. Recognizing their significance and
empowering them with access to technology, finance,
and skill development opportunities are vital steps
toward unleashing their full potential and driving
comprehensive economic growth across
the industry.
