Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Saturday that the Union government led by Narendra Modi supports farmers and the poor, but it is also pro-industry.

Speaking at a gathering of businesspersons from the chemical sector here during an event in the run-up to the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024, he said the government was supporting the industry in order to harness India's huge market potential and its talent pool.

Quoting the ancient Indian philosopher and statesman Chanakya, Mandaviya said the people who generate wealth and employment should be respected because wealth creation brings tax to the exchequer which can be used for the welfare of farmers and the poor.

"Our government is pro-poor, pro-farmer but (also) industry-friendly. We know that for a state to progress, businessmen should be given proper respect. We are the carrier of this culture. Therefore, the prime minister appealed to the people from the ramparts of the Red Fort to respect wealth-creators," he said.

This idea guided Modi in building Gujarat when he was the state's chief minister, and the same idea now guides him in the nation-building endeavour, Mandaviya said.

"India has emerged as a big market with 1.4 billion population. It never had a shortage of brain power and manpower. It is a capable country with everything (at its disposal). Our government is industry-friendly in order to enhance this power and convert it into an output," the Union minister said.

Before entering into a free-trade agreement with any country, the government consults the domestic industry, he said.

Speaking at the event, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said people are looking up to India because the growth of every sector in the country is achieving new heights.

"The double-engine government of Gujarat has been benefiting from the visionary leadership of the prime minister for the past two decades. During his tenure as chief minister, he planted the idea of Vibrant Summit in 2003 to give Gujarat a global platform in the field of investments," Patel said.

BJP leaders use the term `double-engine government' to refer to a situation where the same party rules in a state and at the Centre.

The chemical and petrochemical sector plays a prominent role in promoting sustainable industrial growth, CM Patel further said.

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