Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel inaugurated an Exhibition on ‘Contribution of CPSEs to Nation-Building’ at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, as a part of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ (AKAM) week celebration by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance.

 

The event marked the launch of the exhibition where 75 CPSEs are showcasing their contributions towards nation building. The exhibition will be open to the public from 10^th to 12^th June, 2022 (10 AM to 7 PM). Free Shuttle services are being provided from various points in Gandhinagar like Nehru Nagar, Vatva Industries Association Office, Paldi Bus Station, Naroda Industries Association, Karnavati Club S G Highway.

The Union Finance Minister congratulated DPE for organising the Exhibition successfully and stated, “Tracing back history, Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) began with a very clear understanding to undertake big investment, infrastructure development as long-term projects for the country that just came out of colonial rule.”

Further, she said, that intention of the government is to support the contribution of CPSEs in core sectors as per New Public Sector Policy. She also added that to focus on areas of common good, it is necessary for proper utilisation of public funds, for capacity building and diversification of public sector enterprises.

“I would strongly recommend that the identified core sectors in which public sector will continue as per the New Public Sector Enterprises Policy of Budget 2020-21, would have to now look at opportunities, newer areas of development, scaling up possibilities, and looking at ways in which CPSEs can benefit from Web 3.0, Industrial Revolution 4.0, and deep data diving,” Smt. Sitharaman said.

In his address on the occasion, Chief Minister of Gujarat stated, “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebration conveys the success story of our nation by celebrating 75 years of India’s independence and Public Sector Enterprises have played a multifaceted role in India’s holistic development.” Stating that there are endless opportunities for PSEs and financial development at the Gift City, he invited them to look for opportunities and invest in ‘Gift City’.

The celebration also included the inauguration of conversion of 2 townships of CPSEs, viz., NTPC, Solapur and BEL, Bangalore as Mini Smart Cities. In total 27 townships by 15 CPSEs are planned to be converted as mini-Smart Cities as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

Also present were Shri Ali R. Rizvi, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises; Shri Pankaj Joshi, Additional Chief Secretary to CM, Government of Gujarat; Shri S.K. Jain, Joint Secretary, DPE; Smt. Soma Mondal, Chairperson, SCOPE and Chairman, SAIL and Shri Amitabh Banerjee, Chairman, SCOPE AKAM Committee and CMD, IRFC, besides the CEOs, Directors and other officials of Central and State Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under various Ministries/ Departments.

Alongside the exhibition, a CEOs Roundtable on ‘Role of CPSEs for self-reliant India’ was also held. This was attended by CMDs/Directors of around 40 CPSEs and a dialogue was also held among them to chalk out a roadmap for CPSEs for leading to a self-reliant India. A series of workshops to foster an improved business environment for the CPSEs and smoothen their engagement with business partners are also planned.

A series of workshops on issues such as CSR with special focus on Aspirational Districts, Annual Appraisal System of CPSEs, Procurement from Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs), Government e-Marketplace (GeM) are also being organised. The Workshops aim to bring together all stakeholders on one platform for experience sharing and strategizing in future course of action.

As part of the Iconic week, DPE is also spearheading a pan-India plantation drive, with 75000 saplings being planted by CPSEs from 6^th to 12^th June 2022 at their offices, townships, production units etc.

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