Suggested talking points for Mr. Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council and Director TVS Electronics

Respected Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, Former President of India
Mr. T T Ashok, Chairman, CSR Sub Committee, CII (SR)
Mr. P K Mohapatra, Chairman, CII (SR)
Representatives from the Teaching Fraternity,
Respected Dignitaries,
Friends from the media and
My dear young friends,

It is my honor to be with you today to deliver the concluding remarks of the Imagine and Innovate Contest. We had a thought provoking and Insightful session with Dr. Kalam where he shared his views on the various developments in the country. I am taking this opportunity to highlight on some of the initiatives taken by CII to promote an Inclusive Economic Development in the country. The first one is creating an Innovation led Economic Growth and second one Skill Development Programme.

India is fast turning into an innovation led economy where innovations are leading to better growth and productivity. Young Innovations presented today is a gateway for the development of our country

Innovation is critical to our nation for many reasons. First and foremost, Innovation fuels sustainable economic expansion - creating high-wage jobs, world-class exports and productivity growth so critical to our long-term global competitiveness. Innovations also improve our quality of life. from new drugs and cures that help people live longer and healthier lives, to agricultural advances that permit more bountiful harvests with less herbicides and pesticides. Innovations are also vital in our efforts to protect our homeland by hardening our infrastructure, detecting dangers and empowering our defenders. Energy innovations are the key to meeting our future power needs while protecting our environment, and Innovation holds extraordinary promise for the future of education. By exporting our Innovative technology around the world we help improve the standard of living of the other 6 billion people on the planet.

CII is laying a strong emphasis on Skill Building and the thrust on this is being stressed through the theme ‘Building People: Building India’. We have created a movement to address the skill deficit. A project is being piloted in Tamil Nadu at a Special Economic Zone and this Skill Development Initiative has both the forward and the backward linkages for the employment of the rural youth. CII is planning to replicate the entire Skill development model in other states and scaling it up at the National level. CII is also concerned with the employability of University graduates and have tied up with the University of Madras to launch a soft skill training programme to train the college professors and lecturers on key aspects of soft skills. The curriculum for this soft skill training module has been developed by the CII led Industry consortium. CII aims to strengthen the Skill Development initiative in the country to develop a workforce that can compete at all levels at the global level.

This particular contest has created an enabling environment for young minds to showcase their innovative ideas. Forums of CII are an ideal platform for these ideas to be converted into products or solutions which will surely enhance the quality of life and also contribute to sustainable economic growth.

CII has been in the forefront as a catalyst to identify and scale up innovative ideas for the benefit of the Industry, the Society and the nation at large. Many of the projects presented today have Industrial significance and also social significance. The projects have shown local solutions are more sustainable in implementing resource management projects.
I take this opportunity to thank all the students who have actively participated in this event. I thank Dr. Kalam for taking time out of his busy schedule to be with us to present the awards and also to be with us sharing his perspectives on the different developmental challenges the country faces. His presence here has added immense value to the entire contest and we look forward to his valuable association in the near future.

Thank You