Mission Purvodaya will drive eastern India towards self-reliance: Dharmendra Pradhan

New Delhi, Nov 19: Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan today said that ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ is about transforming India from being just a passive market to an active manufacturing hub at the heart of global value chains. Addressing the 119th annual general meeting of Merchant’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry today, he said that an Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a strong Bharat with robust manufacturing sector, self-reliant yet globally integrated economy. A Self-reliant India will be a Force Multiplier for the global economy, he added. When India speaks of becoming self-reliant, it doesn’t advocate a self-centred system. In India’s self-reliance, there is a concern for the whole world’s happiness, cooperation and peace, the minister said. The Minister said that India cannot become Aatmanirbhar without the eastern India becoming self-reliant. He said that Purvodaya- eastern India has to drive the national growth. “Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the need for focused development of the Eastern India to harness the untapped potential of this region to fuel next wave of national growth. This is the essence of Mission Purvodaya. Both petroleum as well as steel sector have to play an important role in Mission Purvodaya”, he said. Pradhan said that under Mission Purvodaya, we are building an Integrated Steel Hub in eastern India which would add to the competitiveness of the steel sector and facilitate regional development with job creation. “The steel clusters will drive employment opportunities across the value chain, creating both direct and indirect jobs and spurring entrepreneurship, including in under-developed areas. It will spur development of other manufacturing industries and will be accompanied with social infrastructure in the form of cities, schools, hospitals, skilling centers etc.”, he added. The Union Minister said that Indian gas grid is being expanded to new markets in eastern and north- eastern part of the country with Government’s supports of capital grants under the Indradhanush North Eastern Gas Grid projects. Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga (PMUG) project is directed to provide piped cooking gas to the millions of households in eastern states. The Minister said that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused demand destruction and supply chain shocks to the global economy, leading to downturn everywhere. He said that even though the pandemic         continues to inhibit the conduct of normal activity, there are indications of improvements       and      a          gradual            increase             in       activity across            regions and      segments         of         the       domestic          economy.            Progressive improvements are expected as the easing of lockdown restrictions become widespread that would put the country back on the growth trajectory, he mentioned. Pradhan said that the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package and Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana have provided relief to all sections of the society and provided necessary support to all sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic. These will enable India to bounce back quickly and start scripting the next chapter of Indian growth story. India’s stable democracy and strong political leadership and large domestic market and young demographics are seen as key factors supportive of the sustained growth potential of the country in the medium to long run, he added.