Highlighting the importance of setting up of the Auto and Engineering Cluster in Nagpur, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highway and MSME said that in order to overcome the challenges of supplying quality parts and precision engineering products required by large scale industries will be possible with the establishment of Nagpur Auto and Engineering Cluster (NAEC). This cluster will provide a big boost to accelerate industrial growth of Vidarbha region. It will also provide more employment opportunities for the youth. Gadkari was speaking as the chief guest at the Bhumipoojan and foundation stone laying ceremony of the Common Facility Centre (CFC) of the Nagpur Auto and Engineering Cluster at MIDC, Hingna on Sunday.

 

Krupal Tumane, MP, Ramtek constituency, Sameer Meghe, MLA, P M Parlewar, Director, MSME-DI, Nagpur, Atul Pande, Director of Eros Metals, Ramesh Patel, President, CFC, Shrikant Dubey, Plant Head, M&M, Ashok Dharmadhikari, Joint Director of Industries, Nagpur, were present on the dais. Gadkari congratulated the CFC members for their initiative which will provide state of art machining facilities. He said that it is his dream to see that Vidarbha region is industrially developed and economically progressed and local unemployed youth of the region will get employment. For this purpose, there is a need that industries in Vidarbha should be increased and exports from MSMEs should be increased. For this purpose there is a need of skilled man power with the use of new technology. He said that Nagpur can become automobile hub. For this, there is a need to dream big and plan for something big. “The future belongs to e-vehicles. It is necessity as they are eco-friendly”, Gadkari pointed out. The entrepreneurs from Nagpur can manufacture the spare parts required for e-vehicles.

 

The vendors manufacturing spare parts should be developed in Nagpur. He said that conversion of knowledge into wealth is essential. Entrepreneurs should think of reducing cost of production and concentrate on quality improvement. Nagpur can become the hub of aviation manufacturing industries. Similarly, cluster of medical devices can also be formed in Nagpur. He also said that industries associations should come forward for such innovative projects which will generate employment and in turn there will be growth of industries in the region. He appealed to VIA, MSME-DI Nagpur should come together and organise a meeting of entrepreneurs and explore the possibilities available in e-vehicles, aviation, and transport industries. In MIHAN Dassault is planning to manufacture Rafale fighter jet in Nagpur and Falcon 11 seater plane by 2022.

 

He said that there would be huge demand of about 10,000 amphibian planes which have floaters and can land on both water and land in the country, Gadkari added. S R Khujnare, Cluster Development Officer/AD, V R Sirsath, Deputy Director, K B Irpate, AD, MVK Jha, Inv. MSME-DI, Nagpur and Narayan Gupta, Jamdar, Nagraj Reddy and others were present. Suresh Rathi, President of VIA, CA Naresh Jakhotia, C G Shegaonkar, President of MIA Hingna, Mayank Sharma, Chairman of COSIA Vidarbha, CA Julfesh Shah, Vice Chairman COSIA Vidarbha were present.