October 2017 \ Interviews \ POLITICAL INTERVIEW
“BHEL has made ground-breaking achievements”

Mr Anant Geete is a political stalwart who has represented the Shiv Sena very ably in Parliament—he has been elected MP six times between 1996 and 2014—and as a Minister in the NDA Government. Credit for much of the political camaraderie that exists between the BJP and the Shiv Sena at the Centre goes to Mr Geete for things have not always been hunky dory between the two parties in Maharashtra. Back in the days of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, Mr Geete had been Union Power Minister. Now having completed three years as Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mr Geete is easily one of the senior-most faces in a Cabinet rank in the Narendra Modi Government. India Empire had featured him on the cover in the December 2015 edition. In this issue, he responds to a few questions from the magazine once again:

Please let us know about the Centre for Excellence in Heavy Engineering Design set up to train 1350 engineers in three years…

Common Engineering Facility Centre for electro slag re-melting, welding, gear box manufacturing and non-destructive testing by HEC—the project relates to setting up a Common Engineering Facility Center for providing niche training in the field of relating to electro slag re-melting, welding, gear box manufacturing and non-destructive testing from HEC—a central PSU in the area of manufacture of heavy engineering equipment since Nehruvian era. This project has been approved by the Apex Committee under Capital Goods Scheme in its third meeting held on 28.1.2016 for a Government of India grant of Rs 30 crore. The project size is envisaged at Rs 50 crore.

Under this project, HEC has collaborated with Messrs CNIITMASH – a Russian government Industrial Technology Research Institute. The importance of the collaboration is in the fact that after several decades, closely held and strategically significant technologies will again flow to India, modernizing Nehruvian era PSUs and private sector units. The proposal is for imparting training to 1350 engineers in three years in the latest technologies relating to electro slag re-melting, welding, gear box manufacturing and non-destructive testing.

Project is being implemented by PRATHAM, a not for profit SPV formed by HEC. Grant of Rs 13.41 crores has been released thus far. Preparation of classrooms and guest houses for teacher’s accommodation is underway. Process started for procurement of the small equipment, computers etc. Marketing of the course has started with roadshows and advertisement campaign being planned. Course material in Russian has been drafted by CNIITMACH and its translation into English is being done. The final courseware is likely to be received by December 2017. The training is likely to start in January 2018.




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