Pepsico boss roots for Modi’s ‘Make in India’ drive

Kolkata, April 4:

Pepsico boss Indra Nooyi on Saturday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” programme saying it was rightly aimed at building the base for manufacturing and employment in the country.

“I think the prime minister is absolutely right in saying ‘Make In India’, because ultimately you are trying to build the base for manufacturing and employment in India. That’s very good,” company chairperson and chief executive officer Nooyi told mediapersons on the sidelines of the Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta) convocation here.

Nooyi referred to Pepsico India’s commissioning of the first phase of its largest beverage plant in the country at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

“Almost everything we sell in India is made in India,” she said.

Nooyi thanked Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s government for the commissioning.

“We commissioned it yesterday (Friday) and I must say the government of Chandrababu Naidu has been simply fantastic in supporting and giving us the right approvals and making sure that the environment is very friendly for investments in Andhra Pradesh,” she said.

The Rs.1,200 crore plant would manufacture a range of beverages, including fruit juice-based drinks, carbonated soft drinks, and sports drinks. When fully operational it will have nine production lines. The first production line was commissioned on Friday.

A PepsiCo statement said nearly a quarter of all employees of its Sri City facility will be women, making it one of the most gender diverse plants in India.

The ‘Make in India’, a brainchild of Modi, is a major new national programme designed to transform India into a global manufacturing hub. IANS