Industry needs to present new technologies to cut pollution in cities, create jobs in rural, tribal areas: Gadkari

New Delhi [India], May 10 : Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said industry being wealth creators needs to present new technologies to reduce pollution in cities and create job and tourism opportunities in rural and tribal areas.

The minister was speaking at a special presentation of CII-ITC Sustainability Awards in New Delhi on Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), eight compes received Outstanding Accomplishment and two compes received Commendation for Significant Achievement in Corporate Excellence; eight compes recognised for Excellence in Environment Management; seven compes were awarded Commendation for Significant Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility; and two compes won for Excellence in Biodiversity and one company awarded Commendation for Significant Achievement in Biodiversity.

The minister expressed, there is a need to develop indigenous new technologies with respect to energy, and electric highways and using wastelands from mining activities in a sustainable way. "We can grow bamboo on wasteland and use it to substitute imported coal," he said.

He emphasised that big corporates need to come forward and build sustainable business models. The minister stated that there is a need to convince people that making hydrogen from water, ethanol, etc., is possible and their talent and knowledge pool can be leveraged for this.

He highlighted that adopting a circular economy can significantly bring down manufacturing costs and reduce imports. Recycling metals like copper, aluminium, etc, can reduce the auto component manufacturing costs by 20-25 per cent, the statement added.

Sanjiv Bajaj, President CII, Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv Limited, expressed that over the past 17 years, over 1,100 businesses have applied to these prestigious Awards and 375 have been recognised. All of them play a major part in mainstreaming and embedding sustainability into business practices.

According to the statement, these awards are layered around 16 aspects and 250 indicators that cover governance, ecology, biodiversity, and social dimensions of doing business. What makes these awards impactful is the integration of all facets of sustainability into business operations.

Sanjiv Puri, Vice President, CII, Chairman; Advisory Council, CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Chairman and Managing Director ITC, expressed that the winners are a source of inspiration for many others. He added climate crisis is an issue of great urgency and as businesses "we need to collectively rise with innovative solutions for environment sustainability and inclusive growth".

Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, appreciated Nitin Gadkari's deep involvement with the Indian industry. He highlighted that under his dynamic leadership, many milestones have been achieved by the ministry in terms of sustainable and green initiatives.