Auto Sector Can Generate 6.5 Cr New Jobs By 2026: Maruti Suzuki

NEW DELHI: Indian automobile industry can contribute over 12 pct to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and generate around 6.5 crore additional jobs over the next decade, a top Maruti Suzuki India official said on Wednesday.

"Our vision is that over the next decade, the Indian automobile sector must contribute in excess of 12 pct of the country's GDP. We (auto industry) want to create nearly 65 million additional jobs by 2026," Maruti Suzuki IndiaManaging Director and Chief Executive Officer Kenichi Ayukawa on Wednesday said at an event in New Delhi.

Currently, the automobile industry is contributing 7.1 pct  to the GDP of India and around 3.2 crore people are employed directly and indirectly by the sector, he added.

Ayukawa said in the last ten years, the total investment by the automobile industry in the country has been to the tune of $35 billion.

"Our responsibility towards the communities where we are operating also increases. It's our duty to develop a sustainable, mutually beneficial and inclusive socio-economic ecosystem," he said.

He added that in order to grow the industry, we will have to focus on areas like congestion, air pollution, global warming and road accidents.

"Our aim is to be among the top three global automobile markets. This will only happen if we create safe, efficient and environment-friendly vehicles," Ayukawa said.

Seeking more focus of the government on licensing norms and enforcement of road safety rules in the country, he added that such initiatives would help to achieve a more purposeful impact on the society.

"Without robust licensing norms and enforcement, efforts of the industry in driving training falls short," Ayukawa said.

He added that long before the new Companies Act asked corporates to invest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), many of its members had been already engaged in various CSR initiatives.

"We have been specially focused in the fields of village development, skill training, safeguarding the environment and road safety. Now the time has come when we all get together as one entity to draft and implement an 'Industry Social Responsibility Plan' so that we can have a bigger positive impact," he said.

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