'Boost Manufacturing Sector with Skilled Labour'
VELLORE: A three-day global conference on Manufacturing and Management inaugurated at the VIT University here on Monday, called upon entrepreneurs, policy-makers, research and educational institutions to make India a global manufacturing hub. The conference is being hosted by the School of Mechanical and Building Sciences attached to VIT university in association with the Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
Inaugurating the conference, Governor of Kerala and former CJI P Sathasivam pointed out that the strength of India would always be the manufacturing sector and all possibilities must be explored to utilise the favourable conditions to the maximum level. “In emerging economies like ours, manufacturing and service sectors have been the actual sources for numerous jobs, especially low-end jobs, for millions,” he said.
Sathasivam also pointed out that since more advanced countries had outsourced assembly type of manufacturing, the skill levels needed for such manufacturing had also risen in India, and cited the example of the cluster of industries at Sriperumbudur.
He also added that manufacturing sector was undergoing changes, bringing opportunities and challenges.
VIT chancellor G Viswanathan, also the chairman of the Global Congress on Manufacturing and Management, a global organisation that has membership from 26 countries, in his presidential address, urged the Centre to set up research infrastructure to promote manufacturing and management sectors. “We are lagging China in manufacturing as at present India is able to contribute to 1.8 per cent of the world manufacturing as against China’s 37 pc,” he said.
Referring to Prime Minister Modi’s call to promote manufacturing with the slogan ‘Make in India’, Viswanathan said that networking of industry and research institutions as done by Germany must be worked out here.
Vice-Chancellor V Raju, in his welcome address, pointed out that around 270 participants from 7 countries were participating in the meet.