Speaking at the fireside chat at the AGM of Indian Merchants Chamber in Mumbai on 29th June 2017 Union Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu said that the government is working on a scheme to develop 500 railway stations with local tourism potential under the PPP mode. He said the Railways is looking at methods and means to monetize the huge railway property and effective land usage for raising finances to offer better travel experience to the passengers. He said that world class stations are being developed at Gandhinagar, Surat, and Habibganj (Bhopal).
Shri Suresh Prabhu elaborated that raising revenue for the railways from freight and fare is no longer a good business model. On being asked about the subject of the day, “Enhancing India’s Competitiveness in a Rapidly Changing World” he stated that even though robotics and artificial intelligence are gaining more ground, the need to have a human touch cannot be undermined.
Participating in the discussion, Mr. Babul Supriyo, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises said that the benefit of land acquisition for setting up industries under Make in India is still not understood by the common man. While citing the example of global brand Apple which will be shortly commencing its manufacturing operations in India, he appealed to the private sector to consider investments in rural areas, so that it helps to generate employment for the locals throughout the year.
Set up in 1907, IMC is an apex Chamber of trade & commerce with headquarters in Mumbai. It has about 2700 direct members, comprising a cross-section of the business community, including public and private limited companies and over 225 trade and industry associations through which the Chamber reaches out to over 2,50,000 business establishments in the country. IMC is the first Chamber in India to get ISO 9002-2000 certification which has since been upgraded to ISO 9001: 2008. IMC is the only business Chamber in India where, the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, was associated as an Honorary Member.
