The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi participated in the program ‘Creating the Future – Digital Mobility for Automotive MSME Entrepreneurs’ in Madurai, Tamil Nadu today and addressed thousands of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) entrepreneurs working in the automotive sector. The Prime Minister also interacted with Gandhigram-trained women entrepreneurs and schoolchildren

Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister said that it is a delightful experience to be present among minds of the technology and innovation sector and remarked that the feeling is similar to visiting a laboratory that crafts the future. He underlined that Tamil Nadu has proved its mettle on the global stage when it comes to technology, especially in the automotive sector. He expressed happiness at the theme of the event ‘Creating the future - Digital Mobility for Automotive MSME Entrepreneurs’ and congratulated TVS company for bringing together all the MSMEs and the aspirational youth on a single platform. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the development of Viksit Bharat along with the automobile industry will get the required push.

The Prime Minister mentioned that 7 percent of the country’s GDP comes from the automobile industry which makes it a major part of the nation’s autonomy. The Prime Minister also acknowledged the role of the automobile industry in promoting manufacturing and innovation.

Noting that the contributions of the automobile industry towards India are similar to that of the contributions of MSMEs in the automobile industry itself, the Prime Minister informed that more than 45 lakh cars, 2 crore two-wheelers, 10 lakhs commercial vehicles and 8.5 lakh three-wheelers are produced in India every year. He also acknowledged the use of 3000-4000 different automotive parts in every passenger vehicle and said that lakhs of such parts are used every day in the manufacturing process. “It is the MSMEs of India that are responsible for the manufacture of these parts”, the Prime Minister said, noting their presence in most Tier I and II cities of India. “Many cars in the world use components manufactured by Indian MSMEs”, the Prime Minister said underlining the global possibilities knocking on our doors.

“Today our MSMEs have a great opportunity to become a strong part of the global supply chain”, the Prime Minister said emphasizing the need to work on quality and durability and reiterated his philosophy of ‘zero defect-zero effect’ covering quality and environmental sustainability..

The Prime Minister acknowledged the potential of India’s MSMEs during the pandemic. “Country is seeing the future of MSME as the nation's MSME”, he added. Explaining the government’s multi-pronged push for MSME, the Prime Minister mentioned PM Mudra Yojana and PM Vishwakarma Yojana. Furthermore,  MSME Credit Guarantee Scheme saved lakhs of jobs in MSME during the pandemic.

Prime Minister Modi affirmed that low-cost loans and facilities for working capital are being ensured for MSMEs in every sector today, thereby expanding their scope. He noted that the government’s emphasis on the upgradation of the country’s small enterprises is also proving to be a strengthening factor. “The government of today is taking care of the MSMEs’ need for new technology and skills”, the Prime Minister said, highlighting the skill development programs underway in the country. Underlining the role of skill development in shaping the future, the Prime Minister highlighted the special emphasis given to skill development and further added that a new Ministry has been created since coming to power. “Advanced skill universities with room for upgradation is the need of the hour for India”, he added.

The Prime Minister requested the entrepreneurs to enhance their capacity in line with the growing demand for EVs. PM Modi mentioned the recently launched PM Suryaghar Yojana for rooftop solar which will provide free electricity and extra income to the beneficiaries. With an initial target of 1 crore households, the Prime Minister said that EV vehicles will get more accessible charging stations in the houses.

The Prime Minister also dwelled on a 26,000 crore rupees worth PLI scheme for auto and auto components which is promoting hydrogen vehicles along with manufacturing. More than 100 advanced automotive technologies are being promoted through this. “When new technologies develop in the country, global investment in those technologies will also come to India” " the Prime Minister said, exhorting the entrepreneurs to expand their capacity and explore new areas.

Acknowledging the presence of challenges along with opportunities, the Prime Minister mentioned digitalization, electrification, alternative fuel vehicles and market demand fluctuation as key issues. He stressed the need to work with the right strategy to convert these into opportunities.

The Prime Minister also pointed out steps in the direction of formalization of MSMEs like amendment in the definition of MSME, clearing the way for the growth in size for MSMEs.

“Government of India is standing shoulder to shoulder with every industry today”, PM Modi remarked. He said that earlier, one had to visit government offices for even the smallest matters, be it an industry or an individual, but the government of today is tackling all the issues faced by every sector. He mentioned eliminating more than 40,000 compliances and decriminalizing many minor business-related mistakes in the last few years.

“Be it the new logistics policy or GST, all these have helped the small-scale industries of the automobile sector”, the Prime Minister said. He underlined that The government has given a direction to infrastructure development in India by making PM Gatishakti National Master Plan under which, the infrastructure of the future is being created by processing data in more than one and a half thousand layers giving huge power to multi-modal connectivity. He also emphasized developing support mechanisms for every industry and urged the stakeholders of the Automobile MSME sector to take advantage of this support mechanism. “Take innovation and competitiveness forward. The government is completely with you. I am sure, this effort of TVS will also help you in this direction”, the Prime Minister said.

Prime Minister Modi also touched upon the scrapping policy of the government and expressed the desire to replace all old vehicles with new modernized ones and urged the stakeholders to take maximum advantage. He also spoke about coming forward with innovative and planned ways of shipmaking and the market for recycling its parts. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister also threw light on the challenges faced by drivers and mentioned creating 1,000 centers for facilities for drivers on the highway. The Prime Minister conveyed his best wishes and said that the government stands by them in their plans to take the nation to new heights.

Union Minister of State, Dr L Murugan and Chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions Ltd, Shri R Dinesh were present on the occasion among others.

Background

In Madurai, the Prime Minister participated in the program ‘Creating the Future – Digital Mobility for Automotive MSME Entrepreneurs’, and addressed thousands of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) entrepreneurs working in the automotive sector. The Prime Minister also launched two major initiatives designed to support and uplift MSMEs in the Indian automotive industry. The initiatives include the TVS Open Mobility Platform and the TVS Mobility-CII Centre of Excellence. These initiatives are a step towards realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of supporting the growth of MSMEs in the country and helping them to formalize operations, integrate with global value chains and become self-reliant.

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