New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday urged industry leaders to focus on making India a domestic industrial manufacturing hub to help achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat.

Addressing the curtain raiser of FICCI’s annual general meeting here, the minister further stated that India Inc. must become self-reliant with a focus on quality products, converting young kids into a skilled workforce, along with creating an investment-friendly ecosystem and adopting the latest cutting-edge technology.

He also said, “The government brought two editions of the Jan Vishwas Bill, and we have already readied the third version of the Jan Vishwas Bill to decriminalise all the provisions of law to make life easier for businesses and for the common man.”

Applauding FICCI on its 98 years of policy advocacy, Goyal said that ever since the inception of FICCI, self-reliance has been a very important element of whatever the business chamber advocates and stands for.

The Minister also mentioned that “when FICCI celebrates 100 years in 2027, we should aspire to be the third-largest economy”.

The Union Minister said that the government’s performance has transformed from “Virasat to Vikas and then Vishwaas”. “It is the politics of trust that is powering India towards becoming a developed nation,” he added.

Highlighting five key expectations from industry, he appealed to industry bodies like FICCI to closely audit the results of their advocacy efforts.

The Union Minister also emphasised the need for setting bolder goal targets, followed by learning from other countries, particularly Korea and Sweden, which have strong models for industrial growth and business facilitation. Besides, he urged FICCI to expand its presence beyond major cities and reach India’s remote regions.

“Industry bodies should not remain confined to elite business circles but must widen their engagement to support growth across the country,” he added and urged FICCI to become what he described as an “uncomfortable leader” that challenges itself and helps push India toward excellence, the minister added.

FICCI president Harsha Vardhan Agarwal said that India continues to grow at above 7 per cent, the fastest among major economies, contributing nearly one-sixth of global growth. But what makes this phase transformative is that India’s progress is increasingly driven by domestic capability creation, built on policy stability and confidence.

–IANS

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