India has potential to lead fourth industrial revolution: PM Modi
Kevadia (Gujarat) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India has the potential to lead the fourth industrial revolution and the government has worked on reforms to make the country a manufacturing hub of the world.
He said that the fourth industrial revolution is as much about new technology, as it is about innovative thinking.
"Due to various factors, India may have missed being a part of earlier industrial revolutions. But India has the potential to lead Industry 4.0, because, for the first time in recent history, we have many different factors like demography, demand and decisive governance coming together," he said through a message.
The Prime Minister's message was read by a Joint secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industries here at the conference on Industry 4.0.
Modi added that the industry and entrepreneurs play a key role in making India a vital link in global value chains.
"We have worked on reforms and incentives to make India a tech-powered manufacturing hub of the world," he added.
Speaking at the event, Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey said that the government is taking a series of steps to boost manufacturing through industrial revolution 4.0.
"India is moving towards becoming a hub of global manufacturing... 3D printing, machine learning, data analytics and IoT are key to promoting industrial growth," Pandey said.
He added that the production-linked incentive scheme for advanced chemistry cell (ACC) battery storage will help India in cutting down its imports and become an exporter in the coming years.
Companies selected under the scheme will receive incentives under the Rs 18,100-crore programme to boost local battery cell production.
The government has approved the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the 'National Programme on ACC Battery Storage' for achieving a manufacturing capacity of 50 Giga Watt Hour (GWh).
The minister also flagged off 175 EV buses for Gujarat (75) and Karnataka (100).
He also inaugurated a Centre for Industry 4.0 (C4i4) Lab in Pune.
In 2019, Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II (FAME India Phase II)' for the promotion of Electric Mobility in the country was approved. Through the scheme, it is planned to support 10 Lakhs e-two wheelers, 5 lakh e-3 wheelers, 55,000 4-wheelers and 7,000 e-buses.
With the advent of Industry 4.0, the new digital industrial technology, businesses are poised to benefit from the next generation of technological breakthroughs to improve quality, efficiency and productivity.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries has been making concerted efforts to generate awareness and to take forward Smart Manufacturing and Industry 4.0.
Participating virtually, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that the auto sector will hugely benefit from industrial revolution 4.0.
He further added that the production and promotion of EVs will help reducing carbon footprint also.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
