Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal speaking at a convention of industrialists organised by the BJP in Hubballi on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: KIRAN BAKALE
Addressing a convention of industrialists in Hubballi on Sunday, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal has laid emphasis on the advantages of having a full majority government to effect changes.
Inaugurating the convention organised as part of collecting opinion from various stakeholders for the BJP manifesto, Mr. Goyal chose to highlight what a full majority Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done and how it has been able to bring about some major policy changes.
In an attempt to strike a chord with industrialists, Mr. Goyal narrated his own experience of starting a forge industry after his Class XII.
“Using the corpus fund drawn out of my father’s gratuity and PF, a small forge industry was set up. For getting less than an acre of land, I had to make 90 trips to the offices concerned. But, now-a-days, because of policy changes, getting permission has become very easy,” he said, giving full credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for these developments happening in the country.
Mr. Goyal elaborated on the various measures taken by the Prime Minister, including Jan Dhan, Aadhaar linking and Direct Benefit Transfer. He recalled the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi mentioning that only 15 paise of a rupee finally reached the people from the government and said that Mr. Modi has ensured that tax money being paid by people is being efficiently used to help the needy.
Terming the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the best in the world, he said that under Mr. Modi, infrastructure has received a big boost. He said that because of a good financial policy, the rate of inflation in the country has been less than what it is found around the world.
The Union Minister also elaborated on the benefits of having a double engine government and appealed to industrialists to vote for a full majority government this time.
Earlier, Minister for Handloom and Textiles Shankar B. Patil Munenkoppa spoke about the advantages of policy changes and how a double engine government has helped Karnataka in getting major projects.
Interaction
After the inauguration of the event, Mr. Goyal sought suggestions and feedback from industrialists on various issues troubling them and also solutions for them. Some representatives of industrialists presented their views and also submitted memoranda.
Lukewarm response
The event received a lukewarm response from industrialists even as there was a delayed start.
Hubballi Dharwad Mayor Iresh Anchatageri, BJP office-bearers Jayateerth Katti, Mahesh Nalwad and others were present.