Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said that the Ukraine-Russia crisis is a wake-up call for all of us, not to be dependent on crude oil and defence equipment.
Speaking at the ET Startup Awards in Bengaluru, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles said asked Indian Startups to help India become self-reliant in energy and defence needs.
During his interaction with ET’s Executive Editor Shri Bodhisattva Ganguli, Shri Goyal listed several illustrations where the Startups could provide solutions to resolve problems even in difficult times. Shri Goyal said one can find many opportunities, like even in the current war crisis.
He said that the present situation fits in so beautifully in the Make in India program launched 8 years ago, – the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, and the outcome of Covid-19, everything collectively is helping India’s growth trajectory.
“Every crisis can be converted into an opportunity like that of Covid-19. Covid-19 is a big crisis and the ‘biggest of the century’ crisis was converted into an opportunity, wherein many of our boys and girls came up with innovative solutions to the problems”, he added.
While referring to the traffic problem in Bengaluru, Shri Goyal asked Startups to find solutions to ease the traffic.
The Minister assured the Startups that the government was listening to their needs and that its doors are open 24×7.