Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said Kolhapur has the potential to become a hub for auto parts manufacturing and the government is trying to turn the ethanol industry into a Rs 200,000-crore sector.
“Kolhapur has sugar mills and we are trying to grow the ethanol industry into a Rs 200,000-crore sector. It will also be a benefit to farmers. Stopping petrol and diesel pumps in the country It's my dream and biofuel is the future,'' Gadkari said at the 'Coffee with Nitinji' event held at the Maha Sainik Durbar Hall in Kolhapur on Saturday morning, along with young people, traders, entrepreneurs and intellectuals. spoke to.
Gadkari was in the city to campaign for Mahayuti candidate Sanjay Mandlik.
“Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) will soon be installed on the power grid. Solar panels will be installed on homes, solar pumps will be given to farmers and solar tricycles will be made for specially-abled citizens. . Therefore, we plan to start exporting energy within the next 10 years,” Gadkari said.
Continued below
Under a BOT contract, a company (usually a government) grants a private company an interest in financing, constructing, and operating a project for up to 30 years, after which the project is returned to the public entity that originally granted it. Concession.
Gadkari said India has become the third largest country in the world in the automobile sector. “Kolhapur has a strong background in the machinery and foundry industry, so it has the potential to become a manufacturing hub for auto parts.The district also has the potential to become a center for silver and textile design. “Entrepreneurs here should now focus on quality rather than cost,” he said.
Commenting on the lack of IT industry in Kolhapur, Gadkari said several IT engineers from Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara have migrated to the US in search of jobs. “Please ask them to come back. If we unite and form clusters with government support, we can start an IT industry here too,” he said.
In the evening, Gadkari addressed a campaign rally for Mahayuti candidate Ram Sapte in Pandharpur, Solapur Lok Sabha constituency. “Technology is developing rapidly in the agricultural sector. High-yielding seeds of grapes and pomegranates need to be developed in nurseries to double the yield. Irrigation needs to be increased in Maharashtra. Every drop of water We need to put everything back in the ground. Our government will prioritize irrigation projects, especially in draft-prone areas,” he said.
Join a community of over 2 million industry professionals
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest insights and analysis.
Download the ETAuto app
- Get real-time updates
- Save your favorite articles