Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, said that, given their huge potential advantages, there is a need for Maharashtra to focus on biofuels and alternate fuels. Their strategic use will enable the domestic industry to enhance its competitiveness, as well as lead to local employment opportunities. It will also save India a huge amount of foreign exchange.
Addressing MEDC’s 16th Dr Dhananjayrao Gadgil Memorial Lecture held online on June 29th, 2021, Gadkari said that Dr Gadgil was a great guide and philosopher to millions of the socioeconomically marginalized and that Maharashtra’s successful cooperative story was due mainly to his efforts. It was particularly the rural and agricultural economy, as well as the farming community, which benefited from his visionary approach to development.
“The whole world wants to deal with India today. We have to learn to convert knowledge into wealth, and use our vast untapped potential productively. Giving appropriate vision to all youth is most important and it is Atmanirbhar Maharashtra that will pave the way for Atmanirbhar Bharat,” he said, adding that the time has come to frame a futuristic policy for Maharashtra if we are to remain competitive in these times of uncertainty.
In this regard, we need to go in for out-of-the-box solutions for the development of MSMEs. An import substitution policy would be a step in the right direction.