New Delhi, May 7 (IANS): Terming progress made in expanding India's roads and railways networks the best ever in the last two years, Niti Aayog chief executive Amitabh Kant said on Friday that infrastructure construction can drive manufacturing growth in the country.

"Infrastructure construction can drive manufacturing growth and India must be an easy and simple place to do business," he said at an event here organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

He also said that of the 344 procedures under the government's ease of doing business initiative, as many as 148 related to the micro, small and medium enterprises sector.

Identifying textiles, footwear, food processing and gems and jewelry as among the sectors fertile for employmentcreation, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said: "Reforms in ease of doing business will be a game changer for lowering manufacturing transaction costs."