Nitin Gadkari encourages entrepreneurs to 'turn COVID-19 crisis into opportunity'

In a bid to encourage the entrepreneurs who have been affected due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari suggested they turn the crisis situation into an opportunity.

Gadkari has been reaching out to people, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, through video conferences, to encourage them not to lose hope. With the belief that only dialogue can solve problems, the Minister also sought suggestions from foreign students on how to bring the crumbling economy back on track.

A top official of the MSME Ministry said that through several dialogues, the Union Minister has tried to instill a sense of hope amidst all the gloom. The official added the words coming from a minister create a positive impact on the stakeholders.

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During a recent meet on reviving the MSME sector, Nitin Gadkari said that the Japanese government has released a special package for its industry to withdraw its manufacturing units from China and invest elsewhere. Terming it a big opportunity for India, Gadkari said the country should take advantage of the situation and attract global firms. 

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‘Create economic clusters outside cities’

The Union Minister also emphasized the need to create economic and industrial clusters outside the big cities in order to drive growth. He said India should lessen the burden of big cities such as Gurugram, Delhi, and Mumbai as economic drivers of the country.

Nitin Gadkari said currently, the construction of 22 expressways is underway, at a fast pace. The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is one of them which opens an opportunity for investment in IT Parks, logistics, and industrial units.

Since the lockdown came into force, Gadkari has spoken to representatives of Ficci, Assocham, CREDAI, and leaders of other business organisations. According to ministry officials, he has reached out to at least 10,000 industry leaders during the lockdown period and has discussed ways to revive the economy post lockdown.

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(with inputs from agencies)