Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday took a tour of Bosch's vocational facility in Bengaluru. The two leaders interacted with students and received a 'Make in India' lion model made by apprentices at the facility.
The company showcased its innovative projects and the group’s commitment to skill development in India.
Pradeesh Chandran reports:
Later, Mr. Modi and Dr. Merkel jointly addressed an Indo-German summit hosted by Indian IT association Nasscom in association with Fraunhofer called ‘Digitizing Tomorrow Together’. Also, 5 business-to-business agreements were exchanged in the presence of Mr. Modi and Dr. Merkel.
Here are some of the top quotes from Mr. Modi's address:
| » | We are committed to creating favourable conditions for business and industry. |
| » | We have fast tracked approvals and clearances for industry and infrastructure. |
| » | FDI inflows have gone up by 40 per cent this fiscal year. |
| » | We have expedited regulatory clearances including security and environmental clearance. |
| » | Across the board we have increased the validity period of Industrial Licences. |
| » | We have introduced the GST Bill in parliament; we are hopeful to roll it out in 2016. |
| » | India is committed to protecting Intellectual Property Rights Rights of all innovators and entrepreneurs. |
| » | Moody's have upgraded India's rating, India has jumped 16 places on World Economic Forum. |
| » | I have always said the Government has no business to do business. |
| » | India is now at 9th place on UNCTAD's ranking of investment attractiveness and jumped 16 places on WEF's global competitiveness index. |
| » | The government is setting up an india investment and infrastructure fund, targeting Rs. 20,000 crore annually. |
| » | We have already assured business that there will be no retrospective tax. |
| » | We have good cooperation with Germany and it is an important partnership. However, it is not fully utilised and is below potential. |
| » | At a time of global slowdown, india represents a bright spot for investments and opportunity |
| » | Talented Indians are not looking for highly paid job. They want to start on ventures. |
Top quotes from Dr. Merkel's address:
| » | India is Asia's Silicon Valley. |
| » | India and Germany share similar demographic challenges. You have huge talent and we have shortages of skilled talent. |
| » | We would like to partner with India in skill development. |
| » | India is competitive and its strength is IT. |
| » | We are looking at partnerships in railways, infrastructure, energy mobility and training. |
| » | The reforms seen in last 15 months in India is promising. |
| » | If liberalisation measures continue, we can give strong inputs. |
| » | Indian investment warmly welcomed in Germany. |
| » | We are keen on reforms in UN Security Council. |
| » | There are many lions in German. Symbol of lion in 'Make in India' is emblematic of Indo-German partnership. |
Our Correspondent Peerzada Abrar reports:
Bosch to invest Rs. 500 cr.
Peter Tyroller, a member of the Bosch board of management, said the company plans to invest Rs. 650 crore to expand its presence in India. He also talked about the significant contribution that Indian engineers have made to Bosch’s success story in India, as well as their importance for the company’s worldwide activities in many strategic areas such as data mining and smart manufacturing.
“India is a key location in our global innovation network. To further strengthen our presence in the country, we plan to invest Rs 650 crore (over 100 million euros) in 2015,” he said.
Dr. Steffen Berns, president of the Bosch Group in India said, "Over the medium and long-term, the company expects to see positive development in India."
“The Indian government is systematically addressing key issues. We are confident that this will positively impact the country’s development,” said Dr. Steffen Berns, president of the Bosch Group in India. “Especially in areas such as mobility, infrastructure, industry, energy and security, there are many opportunities for our products and solutions. The field of smart manufacturing also opens up possibilities for Bosch in India,” he said.
Photo: Murali Kumar
What's on the agenda?
| 1 | Bengaluru houses major German business house like Bosch, SAP, Siemens and Mercedes-Benz, among others. |
| 2 | Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will tour the vocational facility of Bosch and are expected to make a joint statement. |
| 3 | The company will showcase its innovative projects and the group’s commitment to skill development in India. Chancellor Merkel will experience firsthand industry 4.0 and Internet of Things in the making in Bengaluru. |
| 4 | Both leaders will jointly address an Indo-German summit hosted by Indian IT association Nasscom in association with Fraunhofer called ‘Digitizing Tomorrow Together’. |
| 5 | They will also interact with Indian and German business leaders who are participating in the event. |
| 6 | On Monday, German research organization Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft signed Memorandums of Understanding with Bengaluru-based PSU HMT Limited. |
| 7 | Germany has agreed on a package of over a billion Euros for solar projects in India. |
| 8 | The high-profile visit is expected to boost the Modi government’s programmes such as ‘Make in India’, 'Digital India' and Smart city projects. |
| 9 | Around 1,600 German companies have established there presence in India, out of which over 200 are registered in India. |
| 10 | According to German Counsel, German companies had made an investment of around 9.7 billion Euro in India and provide workplaces for more than 4,00,000 Indians. |
