India must become self-reliant to meet its energy needs over the next 25 years, said PM Narendra Modi, while addressing the commemoration ceremony marking 40 years of Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) in India. The event was held at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on Sunday. SMC announced investments worth Rs 10,400 crore in Gujarat: an EV manufacturing plant in Hansalpur and an EV battery manufacturing unit, the foundation stone of which was laid by the PM.
According to the PM, electric vehicles are ushering a silent revolution in India. The government has taken many steps to give momentum to the electric vehicle ecosystem, he said. Citing Suzuki’s successful 13-year journey in the state, PM Modi also acknowledged that Gujarat has emerged as the top automotive manufacturing hub not just in India but also the world.Reiterating India’s energy commitments made at CO, of achieving 50% of its installed electrical capacity to non-fossil sources by 2030 and being net-zero by 2070, the PM said, “India wants to be atmanirbhar (self-reliant) in energy sector in the ‘amrit kaal’ of next 25 years. We know a lot of energy imports are associated with the transport sector in India. Therefore, innovation and efforts should be a priority in this direction,” PM Modi said.
Hailing Indo-Japan friendship, PM Modi said, “In the past eight years, the relations between these two countries have scaled new heights. Suzuki’s success here and projects such as Maharashtra-Gujarat Bullet Train and the Rudraksha Centre in Varanasi are examples of Indo-Japan Friendship. The bond between Gujarat and Japan is beyond diplomatic boundaries – a state and a developed country going together is a big deal in itself.” Former Japan PM, late Shinzo Abe worked to bring the two countries closer and the present PM (Fumio) Kishida is working further for it, PM Modi added.
The PM also acknowledged that at least 125 Japanese companies including SMC are operational in Gujarat in sectors ranging from automobiles to biofuels. Japanese companies are expanding here, he said.In the last fiscal, Suzuki Group produced about 28 lakh automobiles all over the world, of which, 60% were manufactured in India, said SMC president Toshihiro Suzuki. “We have established a new company, Suzuki R&D Center India – wholly owned by Suzuki Japan. We aim to strengthen our R&D competitiveness and capabilities in new fields of technologies not only for India but also for the global markets.”