Energetica India Magazine: september 2020

Govt Wants to Make Industry Aatmanirbhar, Task Force Being Formed: RK Singh The government aspires to make the industry ’AatmNirbhar’ and I have set up a task force and given them the tar- get of setting up manufacturing zones in the country, says RK Singh, Power Minister. “If we need to create jobs here then we need to stop spending our money outside the country, in China or in oth- er countries,” added Singh, Minister of Power (MoP) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Minis- try of Skill Development and Entrepre- neurship, while virtually inaugurating the Annual Convention 2020 of IEEMA themed ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. The Minister also urged the industry stakeholders by saying that “the do- mestic manufacturers should stop imports from countries which are of concern. The government is keeping a strict vigil on imports and will continue to examine such imported equipment with a magnifying glass for years.” “Our sector is very vulnerable to cy- ber-attacks. We have connected the whole country into one grid, you bring down one part and rest will collapse, hence we need to check all imports. There is a need of government-industry partnership in the sector,” he added. According to Indian Electrical & Elec- tronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), the Indian electrical equip- ment industry is strenuously working hand-in-hand with the government to- wards the AatmNirbhar mission and is not only capable of meeting domestic requirements, but also continue to ex- port both to the developing and devel- oped countries. Speaking at the event, RK Chugh, Pres- ident, IEEMA said, “it was impressive to hear RK Singh motivating IEEMA mem- bership to work on reverse engineer- ing, local innovations and R&D so as to become the hub of manufacturing for global markets. It was very inspiring to know that he is creating a special zone for local manufacturing of items not be- ing made in India at present.” “IEEMA themed its convention this year as “AatmNirbhar Bharat” to support the Government of India’s vision and Mission to make India self-reliant. Min- ister RK Singh, cited that the economy has to be powerful for India to become stronger and this will be achieved by collaborative partnership between Government and industries,” comment- ed Anil Saboo, President Elect, IEEMA. On the other hand, Vijay Karia, Vice President, Designate, IEEMA, men- tioned, “Government is very serious about partnering with the industry and IEEMA, to help grow the Make in India concept. Promises of land, fiscal and procurement support will hopefully set a path forward for rapid industrialization and innovative technologies. IEEMA is committed to lead the way for the Elec- trical and Electronics industry, focusing on renewable energy, E-Vehicles and converging technologies for creating solutions for the infrastructure of India. Look forward to electrifying times.” 12 energetica INDIA- September_2020 NEWS NATIONAL Petroleum Minister Calls for Switching to 100% Clean Fuels for Prime Tourist Cities The Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has called for weaving sustainability with tourism and collaborating to switch prime tourist cities to 100 per cent clean fuels, which will further help pro- tect India’s monuments and ensure a cleaner environment for tourists. Dharmendra Pradhan was speaking on the occasion of the World Tourism Day while addressing a virtual meet on the theme of “Tourism and rural develop- ment”, along with Minister of State (I/c) for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel. During his speech, he commended the Ministry of Tourism for its novel initiative ‘DekhoApnaDesh’ that promotes and encourages local heritage and tourist sites. Minister Pradhan spoke about the country’s rich culture, history and an- cient architectural marvels which offer immense scope for the growth of tour- ism industry. While talking about Internet’s role in making the world a global village, the Minister called for effective use of tech- nology to further strengthen the coun- try’s position as a global tourist hotspot. He added that tourism industry offers unprecedented potential for employ- ment generation and empowerment of our youth, also in the rural areas. Minister Pradhan opined that every dis- trict of our country has a historic story to share or a legend to narrate, and as India celebrates 75 years of indepen- dence in 2022, we must work on creat- ing more tourism sites around the hero- ism of our freedom fighters.