Gadkari popularising earthen pots to create jobs faster

Union MMSE minister Nitin Gadkari said Tuesday that he has written to all the states to make "kulhads" (earthen pots) mandatory at eateries at bus and railway stations, to help create jobs for the potter caste.

In the past, other Union ministers, including Lalu Prasad Yadav, had also attempted similar moves with varying levels of success.

"I have personally written to the railway minister and also to all the state transport ministers to make earthen pots mandatory, rather than paper cups which are used now," Gadkari told a seminar organised by the industry lobby CII here.

Gadkari said the earthen pots should be made mandatory at all the state transport bus stations and also railway stations, which will increase the demand for them.

The minister said he himself drinks water from such pots every morning as it is a very "natural" way of preserving water apart from the better taste. He added that people are already enjoying the kulhads at two railway stations.

His ministry is aiming to create 5 crore jobs over the remaining term of the government in addition to the present 11 crore, increase the contribution of small businesses to overall exports to 50 percent from 40 percent now and increase their share in GDP to 50 percent from 29.

It is working on a dedicated portal to sell the wares of such enterprises, which will be fashioned on the lines of Alibaba and Amazon, he said.

Gadkari reiterated his opposition to driverless cars, pointing out that as many as 50 lakh are employed as drivers.

To reduce logistics costs, Gadkari said the shipping ministry, which he presided over in the first term, has submitted a detailed project report to use the Yamuna as an inland waterway.

He said the Rs 12,000-crore project can help transport cars manufactured at Maruti's plant in the NCR region to Bangladesh and even to Guwahati through inland waterways.

The Yamuna waterway will connect Delhi with Varanasi through Agra and Etawah, he said.

Just like trams, his ministry is also planning to have a dedicated lane for trucks which will move on electricity on under-construction Mumbai-Delhi Expressway, he said, claiming that cost of this movement is a fifth of diesel.