Need manufacturing boost to address job creation challenge: Anand Sharma

March 14, 2013 1:56 pm

Anand Sharma, the Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles, said that the National Manufacturing Policy is one of the key instruments to address the challenge of job creation. Mr Sharma was speaking at a special CII Interactive Session titled ‘Transforming India: Role of Youth’ at the St. Xavier College in Mumbai.
Mr Sharma admitted that creation of jobs was a major challenge; therefore, it was necessary to go back to high rate of economic growth of around 9 per cent per annum. He briefed the students about the National Skill Development Mission which has set an ambitious target of imparting job skills to 500 million people by 2022.
Underlining the seriousness of the government in making India a major manufacturing hub, Mr Sharma said that the government was in the process of establishing 12 stand alone, world-class industrial townships across the country. Emphasising the importance of technology, he said, “The world is changing, and technology is leading the change.”
Mr Sharma told the youth that the decades ahead presented immense opportunities for India. He added, “With ageing West, and China following suit, India, with a large young population, will have 57 million surplus skilled workers ready to absorb job opportunities across the world.”
According Mr Sharma, the economic integration is a necessity in the present globalised world, and India has engaged with rest of the world through comprehensive economic partnership agreements with several countries including ASEAN and African nations. He said that in a multipolar world, India’s trade relations have diversified, with ASEAN accounting for $ 80 billion and Africa accounting for $ 70 billion.
Dwelling on the issue of corruption and scams, the Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister said that India had in place an effective mechanism in the form of free judiciary to fix the problem.
The CII initiative of engaging youth in economic development was attended by over 500 students of St. Xavier College, Mumbai.