India should re-emerge as manufacturing super power: Envoy

Bangalore, Aug 1 (UNI) India which was the world leader in manufacturing in the past due to its unparalleled high technology textile industry, should regain its supremacy as manufacturing super power, Mr Yasukuni Enoki, Ambassador of Japan to India said today.

Speaking after inaugurating Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) here, he said the high tech textile, design and dying technology developed by India was the world's best between between 15th and 18th centuries.

"Now it has made major strides in Information Technology but needs to do much in manufacturing. I wish India will emerge as a superpower in high tech manufacturing in the coming years. Nobody will call you a super power unless you gain manufacturing excellence, he remarked.

The envoy said Japan and India had begun working closely to develop manufacturing industry in this country since 2001. "We see a huge market and availability of skilled manpower. Japan is working closely with top institutes like IITs, IIMs and the IISc to collaborate technical education in the manufacturing sector," he said.

However, close ties between the two government's will not be enough and the private sector of the two countries should come together, he said.

He praised Toyota for its community services and said the car major would emerge as the world leader within two years.

"I have seen nearly a dozen multinational car manufacturers come to India. But they have been busy in increasing their manufacturing capacity by opening up more plants. But Toyota has been faithful to the local community by opening up training centres and helping the industrial training institutes and other technical institutes.

"India should ensure development of human factor like high quality work force and highly skilled engineers. Then it will certainly produce very high quality cars," he felt.

TTTI, first of its kind established by Toyota outside Japan, for training students from economically weaker sections of society who find it difficult to persue their studies. It intends to improve their employability. The purpose of this technical training institute was to offer an opportunity to acquire special skills 'Monozukuri' or skilled manufacturing, for those students who had the talent but could not go for higher education due to economic reasons.

UNI