New Delhi. Sanjeev Puri, CMD of ITC Limited, one of the country's most prominent companies, has assumed the post of the new President of the country's largest industry organization CII. Dainik Jagran asked him questions about the three major challenges currently facing the Indian economy.

These questions were about eliminating unemployment in the country, bridging the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and bridging the growing trade deficit with China. The answers given by the CII President to the questions from the above three areas included promoting the manufacturing sector. Here are some excerpts from special correspondent Jaiprakash Ranjan's conversation with him

How will more employment opportunities be created

1. A permanent solution to this problem is possible only through investment based inclusive growth. In this regard, my suggestion would be that the process of increasing government expenditure that has been started for some time now should continue in the budget as well.

2. Manufacturing, service and agriculture are the three sectors where maximum employment opportunities will be created. We will have to focus on these three sectors. There are many sectors in manufacturing where the demand for labour is high. Like garments. Similarly, the talent of Indian people in the service sector is recognized all over the world and it provides a lot of employment opportunities. Its form may change a bit like that of the information technology sector.

3. Startups in the agriculture sector need to be encouraged, which has the potential to create new types of jobs. India can become a country supplying food products to the whole world. A different approach will have to be adopted for this. Dron Didi is a good example.

4. The government needs to make new efforts to promote Indian tourism globally. Given India's position in the global market today, there is a possibility of a great increase in the interest of global tourists.

We need to harness it.

How to reduce trade deficit with China

1. We have to make manufacturing in India as efficient as possible. This will be possible only by reducing costs, improving labour, and reducing logistics costs.

2. There is a need to encourage the private sector in research. Recently there was talk of setting up a fund of Rs 1 lakh crore, but we will have to create a complete ecosystem for it. The existing production linked incentive scheme will have to be added to it.

3. We will be competitive like China only when we have a market as big as China. China's products are available all over the world. We have to enter that market and take advantage of those markets by entering into trade agreements with other countries.

How will the gap between rich and poor be reduced?

1. Unless we provide quality employment to a large section of the society, the gap between rich and poor cannot be bridged in a country like India. For this, reforms in labour, land and agriculture sectors are necessary.

2. Improving the quality of human resources is most important. It is very important to spend six percent of GDP in this sector and three percent in the health sector.

3. We cannot improve the living standards of farmers without providing them with additional sources of income. By increasing income in the agricultural sector, we can solve the problem of income gap between rural and urban areas.