By IANS
Ahmedabad : Gujarat has favourable environment to make a mark globally in shipbuilding, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said Saturday.
Inaugurating a two-day international seminar on shipbuilding, he complimented the government for venturing into shipbuilding to take advantage of its long coastline and favourable industrial growth.
“It is a proactive step,” Kalam said. But to achieve its goal as a global hub for shipbuilding, the state needs to inject creative leadership in the industry, he stressed.
“Gujarat maritime board’s mission is good, but to succeed, it needs people with passion and creative leadership qualities,” Kalam said. “Korea, which handles 40 percent of world’s shipbuilding business, provided a classic example of what can be achieved through sheer determination.”
State chief minister elaborated on why the government was focused on shipbuilding and added that his goal was to make the state a gateway to the world. For this purpose it was necessary to develop ports, shipbuilding and allied activities.
He also unveiled the state’s draft shipbuilding policy, which identified ten locations in Saurashtra-Kutch region, where the state proposed to start a number of shipbuilding projects.
Dong Shik Shin, the chairman and managing director of KOMAC (Korea Maritime Consultants Co. Ltd), widely regarded as the father of shipbuilding business, was the chief guest at the programme.
He stressed the need to build adequate infrastructure as well as favourable environment for investments.