SPEECH BY HON'BLE PRESIDENT OF INDIA SMT. PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL , AT THE PLATINUM JUBILEE FUNCTION OF MERCHANTS' CHAMBER OF UTTAR PRADESH

Kanpur, 24th September 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to be participating in the Platinum Jubilee function of the Merchants Chamber of Uttar Pradesh, which is one of the oldest commerce organizations of India and the first in the Northern region. Its members supported the Swadeshi Movement during the freedom struggle. In its 75 years, the Chamber has played a pivotal role in the industrial development of Uttar Pradesh.

I am happy to be in Kanpur, well known as a prominent city and a commercial hub of the State. Kanpur is well known for its textile and leather industries. Its location at one of the main railway junctions of the country, provide it connectivity and transportation linkages. This gives Kanpur advantages that it must utilize fully. As industry grows, cities will expand but cities must be kept clean and healthy. Today, climate change and environmental degradation are major challenges confronting the world. In all our activities, we have a responsibility to focus on how to protect the planet and to preserve its natural resources. The Kanpur authorities, its industry and its citizens would need to adopt measures that bring down pollution levels. Equally important, would be the question of the treatment of industrial waste and other waste before these are discharged into the Ganga. On the efforts in this regard, will depend the vitality of the great and ancient Ganga River on whose bank, Kanpur is located.

Since ancient times in India, we have believed in maintaining a balance between nature and humankind. Working within that paradigm, we were well known in distant lands as the Golden Sparrow. We were renowned for our products ranging from spices to cotton. Indian traders have been sending their goods to the West and to the East over the centuries. Today, when we talk about globalization and the integration of trade and investment flows, the concept is not new to us. It is, of course, taking place at a time when with new tools of Information and Communication Technologies, the volumes and the speed of transactions of trade and investment have become far faster. Globalization brings with it opportunities and challenges. We must seize the opportunities and address the challenges.

Globalization has made competition global. Our industry, businesses and firms now have to compete with those of all other countries. This requires that they are run efficiently to remain viable and are run ethically to win confidence. Quality of services and of products alone can guarantee satisfaction of consumers, which, over a period of time, translates into consumer preference for that product or service. Many of our companies have businesses in several continents, demonstrating the capacity of Brand India to have an impressive global presence.

The Indian economy has come a long way in the last nearly two decades and gained a reputation for its resilience and prospects for expansion. It is one of the fastest growing economies and many studies suggest that India would become the third largest economy of the world by 2050. We are the leaders in the IT sector. We must strive to maintain that lead and also invest in new fields of high-end technology like bio-technology and nano-technology so that over a range of technology, we occupy a pre-dominant position. Given cost advantages, we can become one of the manufacturing centres and with focused agricultural growth; we can become one of the granaries of the world. The movement towards this goal would depend upon the skills and education of our people, the creativity and enterprise of our industry and the growth of the agricultural sector.

Our youth and workforce must be equipped with skill-sets necessary for growth and prosperity. As we address issues relating to skill development, we must never forget technological upgradation. Today, technology is the driving force of growth. New methods of production and energy saving must be employed. Kanpur is fortunate that, as an industrial town, it has an Indian Institute of Technology, providing a unique privilege for the local industry to have research collaboration with it.

Our efforts to enhance agricultural productivity and tap the potential available in agro-based industry would, besides helping the nation to achieve food security, improve rural conditions. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy and 70 percent of the population is dependent on it. Our efforts to intensify agricultural production could be coupled with spreading out of agro-industries in the districts, undertaking employment generation schemes and setting up agricultural training schools. New agricultural schemes can be formulated to attract small farmers to join in this boosted agro-industrial process to make them shareholders without them loosing their land. This will bring enthusiasm and new inspiration to our farming community. The potential for partnership between agriculture and industry is immense in Uttar Pradesh. I would call on this Chamber to look at practical ways to forge and intensify its interaction with farmers and the rural community to work out win-win options.

As we grow, it is important that the benefits of growth spread to all regions of the country and to all sections of society. Poverty eradication as well as making education and health facilities available to all citizens of the country is the overarching framework for our balanced and sustained development. The Government has several welfare programmes, but their implementation mechanisms need to be fortified and the process made transparent with accounting enforced at all levels. Business can play an important role in the social field when it works with the spirit of social and corporate responsibility.

Micro and small-scale industry can be an engine of equitable economic growth with a capacity to generate high rates of employment. In India, such enterprises account for 39 percent of manufactured output and 33 percent of the total exports of the country, while giving employment to almost 3 crore people. Uttar Pradesh is home to the largest number of small-scale units in the country. The Merchants' Chamber of Uttar Pradesh could look at steps required for enhancing the performance of micro and small enterprises.

I would also like to emphasis that we need to look at specific measures to encourage women to become economically self-sufficient. Some of the leading entrepreneurs in the world as well as in our country are Indian women. Women have the capability, the spirit to succeed and it is only a question of providing them an opportunity and support in terms of education and credit facilities that would enable them to venture out to contribute productivity. Micro financing, self-help groups are acknowledged as useful approaches that give women a chance. I am aware that many Chambers have women's chapters. These must be reinforced.

In the end, I would like to say that no business can succeed without vision and no goal can be realized without hard work. This philosophy is contained in our ancient scriptures and the following shloka sums it up: -

With these words, I would like to convey my good wishes to the members of the Merchants' Chamber of Uttar Pradesh for their success, progress and prosperity.

Thank you,

Jai Hind

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