Confident of Indian automobile industry becoming number one globally in 5 years: Nitin Gadkari
New Delhi, Dec 10: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday exuded confidence that India's automobile industry will rise to the number one position globally in the next five years and outlined his ministry's ambitious target to also reduce the logistics costs in India to 9 per cent over two years.
Speaking at the Amazon Smbhav Summit, the Road Transport and Highways Minister noted the remarkable growth of India's automobile industry, which he said has surged from Rs 7 lakh crore to Rs 22 lakh crore since he took charge of office.
"First is USA -- Rs 78 lakh crore, second-largest automobile industry is in China--Rs 47 lakh crore, and now India is at Rs 22 lakh crore. I am confident that within 5 years, we want to make Indian automobile industry number 1 in the world," he said.
The minister said the presence of reputed global automobile brands in India is a clear indication of the country's potential.
He further articulated his ministry's target to reduce the logistics costs in India to a single digit within 2 years.
"The logistic cost in India is 16 per cent and in China it is 8 per cent, in USA and European countries, it is 12 per cent. The government has decided to reduce the logistic costs...in my ministry, we have the target that within 2 years, we will take this logistic cost to 9 per cent," he said.
Gadkari highlighted specific projects that will drastically cut travel times between major cities. He noted that the journey from Delhi to Dehradun, which currently takes about nine hours, will be reduced to just two hours by January 2025. Similarly, travel times between Delhi-Mumbai, and Chennai-Bengaluru are expected to decrease significantly, he said.
He then stressed the importance of adopting alternative fuels and biofuels and said using bio-ethanol in vehicles could lead to significant savings in fuel costs while simultaneously reducing pollution.
Gadkari also outlined plans to convert organic waste into hydrogen fuel and other valuable materials through advanced recycling technologies.
He pointed out that Delhi generates substantial municipal waste, with only 80 lakh tons currently being utilised.
"Our idea is to make hydrogen from the organic waste. By segregating the waste, we can get petrol, plastic, metals and glass. The recycling of all these materials available is possible.
And another technology is by which we can use this waste to get green hydrogen," he said.
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TVK chief should be given opportunity to prove majority in TN Assembly: Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said there was no justification for the Tamil Nadu governor to stop TVK leader Vijay from forming the government, and he should be provided an opportunity to prove majority in the assembly.
Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday rejected TVK chief Vijay's claim to form the government, stating that his party lacks the requisite numbers.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has fallen short of meeting a simple majority to form the government in Tamil Nadu. Though the Congress with five MLAs has offered support to TVK, Vijay's party falls short of a simple majority of 118 in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly.
Abdullah said there was no justification for President's rule in Tamil Nadu in view of numerous Supreme Court judgements emphasising on inviting the single largest party to form the government and then prove its majority on the floor of the house.
"If we see the Supreme Court judgement, then there should be no President's rule. There are so many cases in which the SC has clearly stated that after the elections, the single largest party should be invited (for government formation) and they should be allowed to prove their majority in the assembly," Abdullah told reporters here when asked about the political situation in Tamil Nadu.
"It happened when (former prime minister) (A B) Vajpayee formed the government for 13 days, the President of India did not wait for him to show his numbers. The President of India invited him, the government was there for 13 days, but when Vajpayee did not have the numbers, he resigned," he said.
So, if we take the SC judgement, the J-K CM added, then the Tamil Nadu Lok Bhavan "has no justification to stop this process".
"Vijay should be allowed to form the government, and then he should be provided an opportunity to prove his majority and if he proves, he will remain, but if not, then he will have to resign," Abdullah said.
To a question on whether there would be impact of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Jammu and Kashmir, the CM said its impact remains to be seen in the rest of the country first as the assembly elections in the Union territory were not due till 2029.
"As of now it (SIR) has happened in Bengal only. Why are you worried about J-K? The elections are not to take place here till 2029. Let us first see its impact in the rest of the country. What we had to suffer (in J-K), we have. We suffered their delimitation, which was done to benefit the BJP and its friends. Let's see what happens in the future," he said.
On the reported remarks of Leader of Opposition in the J-K assembly, Sunil Sharma, that if the chief minister goes for cabinet expansion, then his party, the National Conference (NC), would suffer like the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and someone like Eknath Shinde would emerge here as well, Abdullah said all his MLAs stand firmly with the party.
"This tells about the intentions of the BJP. 'Aaya Ram Gaya Ram' (turncoats). Eknath Shinde left because the BJP helped him to leave. It is obvious that the LoP is impatient to hold the chair of the chief minister of J-K. I will only tell him that there is no Eknath Shinde in the National Conference. NC's MLAs stand firmly with the party," he said.
Abdullah said the cabinet expansion is on hold because statehood has not been restored to J-K.
"Cabinet expansion is not on hold because of any fear and that is why I regularly say that the LoP proves through statements like this that till the BJP does not get power, they will not allow us to work smoothly and will not make J-K a state again," he said.
Hitting out at the LoP and the BJP, the J-K CM said the people of J-K, especially those who voted for the BJP in the last elections, should remember that the LoP and his party "indulge in the politics of blackmail and the people here are intimidated in the name of statehood".
