By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, SEP 18, 2023: PRIME Minister, Narendra Modi, dedicated Phase 1 of India International Convention and Expo Centre - ‘Yashobhoomi' to the nation at Dwarka, New Delhi yesterday. He also launched ‘PM Vishwakarma Scheme' PM Vishwakarma logo, tagline and portal for traditional artisans and craftspeople on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister acknowledged the contribution of the Shramiks and Vishwakarmas in the construction of the magnificent facility. “Today I dedicate 'Yashobhoomi' to every worker of the country, to every Vishwakarma”, he said. He told the Vishwakarmas linked with today's program that 'Yashobhoomi' is going to be a vibrant center connecting their creations with the world and global markets.

“The Viksit Bharat of today is crafting a new identity for itself in every sector”, the Prime Minister said referring to the Bharat Mandapam which had become a topic of discussion across the world and stated that Yashobhoomi furthered this tradition with greater magnificence. “The message from Yashobhoomi is loud and clear. Any event that takes place here will attain success and fame”, Shri Modi emphasized. He further added that Yashobhoomi will become a medium for showcasing the India of the future.

He said that in order to showcase India's grand economic prowess and commercial muscle, this is a worthy center in the capital of the country. It reflects, he continued, both multimodal connectivity and PM Gatishakti. He illustrated this by talking about the connectivity provided to the center by Metro and inauguration of Metro terminal today. He also highlighted that the ecosystem of Yashobhoomi will take care of the travel, connectivity, accommodation and tourism needs of the users.

The Prime Minister said that Conference tourism will also progress only where there are necessary resources for events, meetings, and exhibitions, hence Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi Center are now going to make Delhi the biggest hub of conference tourism. Lakhs of youth are likely to get employment. In the future, “Yashobhoomi will become a place where people from countries all over the world will come for international conferences, meetings and exhibitions”, Shri Modi added.

The Prime Minister invited the stakeholders to Yashobhoomi. He said, “Today I invite people associated with the Exhibition and Event industry from countries around the world to come to Delhi. I will invite the Film Industry and TV Industry of every region of the country, East-West-North-South. You hold your award ceremonies, film festivals here, hold first film shows here. I invite people associated with International Event Companies, Exhibition Sector to join Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi.”

In his welcome speech, Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, said that the leadership provided by the Prime Minister in difficult times ensured that the G20 summit was taken to every nook and corner of the country and became a people's presidency. This event has been so successful that it has been called as “Modi-fied G20” by an expert, he said. New Delhi Leaders Declaration will give the future a new direction and will play a role in changing the direction of world affairs, Commerce and Industry Minister said.

Shri Goyal said that Yashobhoomi is a proof of Prime Minister's vision of “Skill, speed and scale”. He informed that the project of IICC was completed speedily under Prime Minister's leadership and is being inaugurated today as Yashobhoomi. The first phase of this project is complete and the second phase will enlarge it into double its size today, he said. This convention centre at Dwarka is a great example of PM Gatishakti ideal, Shri Goyal said adding that the International Airport can be reached by expressway in 5 minutes, metro connectivity connects it to Connaught place in 20 minutes and there is ample provision of hotels linked to this project.

Shri Goyal said that in the last 9 years, the convention centres that are being set up in the country will become world class exhibition centres. Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi will promote trade, industry, export and employment. Yashobhoomi will promote MSME sector, farmers and artisans and provide new opportunities and markets for them, he said.

Prime Minister has laid the foundation of making India a developed nation in Amrit Kaal by creating a strong economy and infrastructure, uplifting the poor, digitisation and by ensuring a corruption free government, Commerce Minister noted. Today the entire world is witness to Prime Minister's commitment to inclusive growth, he said. Making laws simpler to make the lives of common man easy, helping the start-ups, increase trade and exports, create new opportunities for employment and creating faith in the hearts of the people will ensure that the country has become unstoppable now, he said. Noting the inauguration of historic launch of Vishwakarma Yojana, Shri Goyal said that the Prime Minister has recognised the hard work of our artisans and the scheme will honour and strengthen them.