Boost manufacturing, urges Sam Pitroda

The country must now gear up to boost the manufacturing industry, the same way it did the information technology sector, Sam Pitroda, member of the National Advisory Council, told reporters here on Saturday.

Pitroda, who was minister for national technology missions under the prime ministership of late Rajiv Gandhi, said the aim of boosting manufacturing was not about competing with China, but about boosting the country's economy and creating jobs for millions of people.

India, he said, ought to focus on pharmaceuticals and automobile components.

"The IT and the telecom revolutions have given us the confidence we need. The next five years should see much done."

India also needs some five million new houses to be built a year, he said.