PM Modi lauds 'House of Himalayas' brand to promote local products

PM Modi urged industrialists to focus on increasing exports while decreasing imports. He asked them to explore areas like organic fruits and vegetables, millets and other nutritious food items in Uttarakhand.

Dehradun:Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated the Uttarakhand government after it launched the 'House of Himalayas' brand to promote local products and help the self-help groups to increase their income.

Speaking at the Uttarakhand Global Investors Summit 2023 at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, PM Modi said this is an innovative effort to establish the local products of Uttarakhand in foreign markets. He said that 'vocal for local' will help to strengthen the concept of 'local for global'. The local products of Uttarakhand will get recognition and a new place in the foreign markets. In many districts of India there are products which are local but have the potential to get global recognition, he said adding that India will have to explore the global market with the local products.

PM Modi said that the 'House of Himalayas' brand will help in fulfilling his resolutions. He said that in coming days, 'Lakhpati Didi' campaign has been launched to make two crore rural women millionaires in the country. This is a difficult task but to make this a success, projects like House of Himalayas brand will accelerate the campaign, he added.

While appealing investors to contribute in the state's development, he said that everyone should identify local products in different districts for business. "Explore new possibilities by collaborating with women self-help groups and farmer producer organisations. This can prove to be a great partnership to take the local to the global level," he said.

PM Modi said that whatever we do should be the best in the world so that India's standards are followed by the world. "Manufacturing should be with zero defects and focus has to be on increasing export oriented manufacturing. It is time that we invest in local supply chains. We have to make such arrangements that we are least dependent on other countries," he said.

He told industrialists that they should focus on capacity building in India and lay focus on increasing exports while reducing imports. Despite being a coal-dominated country, we import coal worth Rs 4 lakh crore and petroleum products worth Rs 15 lakh crore, he noted.

"There are many possibilities for organic fruits and vegetables, millets and other nutritious food items in Uttarakhand which can open new avenues for farmers and entrepreneurs. Even in the packaged food market, industrialists should play a role in taking our local food to the global level," he said.

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