The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Vanijya Bhawan’ and launched the NIRYAT portal in Delhi on Thursday at Vigyan Bhawan today.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that, “another important step has been taken in the direction of the journey of Citizen-Centric Governance in New India on which the country has been moving for the last 8 years”.

Talking about NIRYAT – National Import-Export for Yearly Analysis of Trade portal, PM Modi said that it will help in breaking silos by providing real time data to all stakeholders.

“From this portal, important information related to more than 30 commodity groups exported to more than 200 countries of the world will be available. In the coming time, information related to district-wise exports will also be available on this. This will also strengthen the efforts to develop the districts as important centers of exports”, the Prime Minister said.

He said that in the last eight years, India has also been continuously increasing its exports and achieving export goals.

“Every ministry, every department of the government is giving priority to increasing exports with a ‘whole of government’ approach,” said Modi.

The country has got the gift of a new and modern commercial building as well as an export portal, one physical and other digital infrastructure, he said.

Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Som Prakash and Anupriya Patel were also present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister noted that today is also the death anniversary of the country’s first Industries Minister Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. “His policies, decisions, resolve, and their fulfillment were very important in giving direction to independent India. Today the country is paying its humble tribute to him”, he said.

Referring to the new infrastructure of the Ministry, the Prime Minister said that this is also time to renew the pledge of ease of doing business and through that ‘ease of living’ too. Ease of access, he said, is the link between the two.

He said that there should not be any hindrances in communicating with the government and making the government accessible with ease is a major priority of the government. This vision is clearly reflected in the policies of the government, he added.

Referring to many examples of the recent past, the Prime Minister said that in the new work culture of the New India, completion date is part of SoP and is strictly adhered to.

He remarked that only when the government’s projects do not hang for years and are completed on time, similarly, the government’s schemes reach their goals, and then only, the taxpayer of the country is respected.

Now we also have a modern platform in the form of the PM Gatishakti National Master Plan. He said that this Vanijya Bhawan will give a push to the nation’s ‘Gati Shakti’.

The Prime Minister cited the new Vanjiya Bhawan as also the symbol of his Government’s achievements in the field of commerce during this period.

He recalled that at the time of foundation stone laying, he had stressed the need for innovation and improvement in the Global Innovation Index.

“Today, India is ranked 46th in the Global Innovation Index and is continuously improving,” added PM.

The Prime Minister noted that last year, despite the historic global disruptions, India’s exports stood at a total of $ 670 billion i.e. Rs 50 lakh crore.

“Encouraged by this success of the past years, we have now increased our export targets and have doubled our efforts to achieve them. Collective effort of everyone is very necessary to achieve these new goals”, he said, further adding that not only short term but long term targets should be set.

The Prime Minister said that the government’s emphasis on local products through the Vocal for Local campaign, ‘One district, one product’ scheme, has also helped in increasing exports.

Now many of our products are being exported for the first time to new countries of the world. “Our Local is fast becoming Global”, he said citing examples like Sitabhog Mithai being exported to Bahrain, Fresh King Chilli of Nagaland to London, Fresh Burmese grapes of Assam to  Dubai, tribal Mahua products from Chattisgarh to France and Khumani of Kargil to Dubai.