National security above wealth, resources: Nuwal

Nagpur: National security must take precedence over wealth and resources, Solar Group founder Padma Shri Satyanarayan Nuwal said on Sunday, adding that economic prosperity alone cannot guarantee a country's survival in today's world. Nuwal, while delivering the leadership talk at the CII Vidarbha Zonal Annual Day 2026, themed Viksit Vidarbha, said, "Over 1,000 years ago, India was known as the golden sparrow. What happened after that is known to everyone. If the nation is not secure, then no matter how rich or resourceful it becomes, all that wealth is of little use." He added that success must never come at the cost of ethics. "Nation above everything is the biggest religion," he said, adding that India possesses both technological capability and talent, "but success ultimately depends on sincerity, leadership and loyalty".Recalling his entrepreneurial journey, Nuwal said the path from trading and explosives manufacturing to weapons production was one of enormous ups and downs. He entered the defence sector in 2010. "Earlier, nearly 70% of the ammunition used in India was imported, and even today the situation has not changed drastically. So, there is still a lot of work to be done in this sector," he said.Outgoing CII Vidarbha Zonal Council chairman Shree Jamdar presented an overview of activities undertaken in 2025-26, including sessions on fugitive emission management, an industry-academia conclave, and a conference on India at 100.Amitabh Sinha, elevated from co-chairman to chairman for the new year, said, "From this year, under the theme Viksit Bharat, we will work for Viksit Vidarbha." Sinha announced plans to attract global competency centres to Vidarbha, organise sessions for healthcare sector, hold a buyer-seller meet for MSME members, and focus on mining, AI, robotics, real estate, and positioning Nagpur as a logistics hub. Satendar Kumar was appointed vice-chairman. (Inputs by Sumukh Kulkarni & Gouri Gokhale)