Share of manufacturing in total employment low: Prez

Stating the manufacturing sector accounted for only 11 per cent of India's employment, much lower than emerging economies, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked the industry to enhance capabilities on technological front and human skills to be more competitive. "The contribution of manufacturing to total employment in India is about 11 per cent which is much lower than that of the emerging countries where the share of the manufacturing in total employment is between 15 to 30 per cent," he said while inaugurating the International Engineering Technology Fair here. To make Indian industry productive and competitive, Mukherjee said: "We must enhance our capabilities on major fronts, primarily technology and base, human skills and hardware knowledge. Innovation is a key management strategy for growth" Also, he said, industries must develop close coordination with research institutions. The government has envisaged a number of steps to give a boost to the sector under the National Manufacturing Policy (NMP) 2011, he said. The policy aims to create 100 million jobs within a decade and increase the share of manufacturing in the country's GDP to 25 per cent by 2022 from the current 15-16 per cent. Mukherjee also emphasised on quality and productivity. "I strongly believe that there is another milestone to be crossed in the quality and productivity journey." Therefore, new operating models would need to be considered such as preferred customisation, he said. The President also said that large amount of investments is envisaged in the key sectors like power, transportation and urban development and that a considerable portion of investments is expected to come from the private sector. Further, he said, a sustainable development model is not only an imperative today but is also opening new opportunities for the industrial sector.