The
week-long Make in India event here has secured investment commitments
worth Rs 15.2 lakh crore, with host state Maharashtra alone
accounting for Rs 8 lakh crore. Besides, it received investment
enquiries worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore. "The multi-sectoral Make in
India Week has been a great success. We've managed to get investment
commitments to the tune of over Rs 15.2 lakh crore from the event,"
DIPP Secretary Amitabh Kant told reporters at the closing press meet
at the MMRDA Grounds here today. He is hopeful that the summit will
create a favourable environment for investors from across the world.
Out of the total investment commitments, the host state made up for
more than half, at Rs 8 lakh crore, Kant said, adding that
Maharashtra could become the gateway for the rest of the country. Out
of the total commitment pie, 30 per cent have come from foreign
players. "We have already opened the economy across sectors to
the world. We're now showcasing, connecting and collaborating for
manufacturing in the country," Kant said, adding that the summit
is not about manufacturing alone, but innovation and nurturing
inventors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on February 13
inaugurated the maiden Make in India Week at the MMRDA Grounds at BKC
in Central Mumbai. The jamboree, for which the Modi-led government
has reportedly spent close to Rs 100 crore in marketing alone, is
part of the government's push to create jobs by increasing the share
of manufacturing to GDP to 25 per cent over the next decade, from the
16-17 per cent now. The domestic economy has for long been supported
by the services sector, which alone contributes more than 60 per cent
of GDP. The summit, despite a reasonably good participation from
Corporate India and global companies, had its own share of
shortcomings, with poor coordination among various agencies such as
DIPP, PIB and industry lobby CII coming to the fore.
On
the very thin participation from north-eastern states, Kant said,
"Every state has different core competency. I am from the Kerala
cadre and I believe that Kerala is a great state for travel and
tourism, but is not a great state for industrialisation." He
added: "My personal view is that north-eastern states need to be
developed with sustainability and innovativeness. If you force too
much of industrialisation in those areas, you will spoil the natural
surroundings of the region. Let's not force every state to be
Maharashtra or Gujarat... that will not be correct." However, it
can be noted that most of the non-NDA states barring Karnataka, which
is ruled by the main Opposition Congress, and Odisha ruled by the
BJD, kept away from the summit. Over 2,500 international and 8,000
domestic companies are claimed to have participated in the week-long
multi- sectoral industrial event, apart foreign government
delegations from 68 countries and business teams from 72 nations. The
opening ceremony was also attended by Prime Ministers of Sweden,
Finland and Deputy Premier of Poland, besides other foreign
ministers. As many as 17 states, mostly BJP-ruled ones, participated
in the expo and there were over 50 seminars. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Haryana, Odisha and Punjab had dedicated state-centric sessions too.
The opening cultural night at Girgaum Beach turned out to be a flop
after a massive fire broke out early into the event, which had the
entire state government in attendance. Luckily, there was no human
casualty. Similarly, many were critical of the high food prices at
the food courts and the high security, which didn't allow home-made
foods.
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