We can leave behind China when it comes to manufacturing, CM

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said that India could displace China as the world’s biggest manufacturing hub if the country worked towards it on a war-footing.

Addressing a Niti Aayog governing council meeting, the CM said that the central and state governments should come together to build manufacturing hubs across the country to provide facilities and give tax-breaks to micro, small and medium enterprises, manufacturers and industrialists for import substitutes and exports.

Kejriwal stressed on promoting start-ups. “India never gave importance to the manufacturing sector in the last 70 years and, as a result, we are lagging. This has allowed China to capture the market,” Kejriwal said at the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“India had to confront two issues last year. First was Covid, which badly affected the manufacturing sector, and many jobs were lost. Also, we saw how China has been challenging us on the border, and at the same time, it has captured our markets — Chinese products are replacing Indian products on a large scale,” Kejriwal said.

“We need to promote start-ups. It’ll help create a number of jobs. I have studied in IIT-Kharagpur and, at that time, a lot of people used to go out (of the country) after studying in IITs. This trend has declined in the last 10-15 years and our youth wants to stay in India and start their own business,” he added. IoT