The 63rd annual convention of apex industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has begun today in New Delhi. In his message to India Auto Inc and SIAM, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the industry to work towards a sustainable mobility ecosystem.
“The need of the hour today is to develop a mobility ecosystem that is sustainable and in harmony with the environment. Environmentally-conscious and economically viable mobility is the future,” stated the prime minister in his note to SIAM.
“In today’s India, mobility in its various forms is a key driver of growth. As crores of people move out of poverty into the neo-middle class there is social and economic mobility. As they push the nation’s growth through their aspirations, they power our economy to be the fastest growing in the world. Due to this, from being the 10th largest economy, India has become the fifth largest economy. Soon, we are poised to reach the top three. The automobile industry is both a catalyst and a beneficiary in this value creation cycle. Employing crores of people, the industry has contributed to income growth.
“At the same time, the automobile sector too has been a beneficiary of greater demand generated by economic growth. The Indian auto industry’s efforts towards decarbonisation through the introduction of vehicles with a wide range of powertrain technologies is noteworthy. Today, we have vehicles running on multiple alternative technologies like ethanol, flex-fuel, CNG, bio-CNG, hybrid electric, electric and hydrogen. There is a need to continue and enhance such concerted efforts for reducing both carbon emissions and our country’s dependence on oil imports.”