Atmanirbhar Bharat: Vocal to Local

The concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) is not a very new one. However, with the recent changing scenario, especially during these times of a global pandemic, the call for this campaign is more coherent. So, what is Atmanirbhar Bharat? It could be understood as pursuing methods that are efficient and competitive while remaining self-sustaining and self-generating, ensuring India as a crucial part of the global economy. This is however confused as being protectionist in nature (just like the pre-1991 era) which is indeed false. Prime Minister Narendra Modi defined Atmanirbhar Bharat in economic terms as an overall strategy, which is not limited to limiting imports but is also about our skills and our human resources. He emphasized the need to pitch the country as a manufacturing hub so that the local value additions help the country make the switch from a supplier of natural resources and raw materials to exporter of finished products.

A recent spark for this campaign was the breakout of COVID-19 around the globe. India very well realized that considering the state of health infrastructure then, it couldn’t deal with the pandemic very well. As a consequence, India boosted its efforts to cope up with the situation. Within a span of two months since the coronavirus outbreak, India, which was previously not producing any Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) kits, had then attained a surreal feat of making 2.06 lakh PPE kits per day. In August, the Ministry of Health said domestic manufacturers had exported 23 lakh personal protection equipment (PPE) kits in July, which substantially aided India to position itself in the global export market of PPEs confirming its potential. PPE industry in India has become a ₹7,000 crore (US$980 million), the second-largest after China, rising anti-China sentiments also acted as a catalyst. Many international firms are already on their way to shift their manufacturing plants from China, and India is aiming to attract such global FDI. Stricter FDI restrictions are being planned for FDI from neighbouring countries, especially from China and HK.

Following are some of the recent news items which will provide a further perspective to our stance on these developments:

PLI scheme to bring Production to India, Jim Cathey, President, Qualcomm.
Micromax to invest Rs. 500 crores in R&D, manufacturing, backed by India’s PLI scheme.
iPhone maker in India, Foxconn says “China’s days as Worlds Factory are over”.
Twenty-two companies apply for India’s new PLI scheme.
The government notifies PLI scheme for API, medical devices, manufacturing.
India attracts $22 billion FDI during Covid-19, Amitabh Kant.
BPCL Privatisation expected to be completed by Marc.h
India levies Anti-Dumping Duty on black toner, PET Raisins, Digital Printing Plates, and various other products from China.
Government looking at non-tariff barriers to curb China imports.
Samsung, LG, iPhone maker Pegatron may pump in $1 billion each to make in India under PLI scheme.
In August 2020, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that the Defence Ministry is “now ready for a big push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative” by imposing an “import embargo on 101 items” in a staged manner over a period of 5 years.

Apart from this, even IIT Delhi is contributing to The Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign with its various initiatives. Several highlights are listed below:

On June 15, HRD minister launched the ‘world’s most affordable’ Covid-19 test kit developed by IIT Delhi. The test kit, Corosure, has been billed as the world’s most affordable probe free RT-PCR based Covid-19 diagnostic kit.
Professor V. Ramgopal Rao, Director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi revealed that IIT-Delhi is working closely with the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for many of the defence technologies. “There are 101 defence technologies which the government of India has banned for import. A couple of those replacement technologies are coming out from IIT-Delhi,” the professor said.
The researchers of IIT Delhi, in the fight against coronavirus, have developed a range of products starting from affordable face masks to personal protective equipment and diagnostic kits to a web-based dashboard to predict the spread of coronavirus.
IIT Delhi incubated startup Chakr Innovation launched ‘Chakr DeCoV’ to decontaminate N95 masks, a sustainable solution to fight COVID-19
CamScanner app alternative ScanUp have been developed by IIT Delhi students, marking their contribution in this campaign.

However, many challenges await for Atmanirbhar Bharat, the main being the ever-increasing growth of COVID-19 cases in India. India is now at the top in terms of daily cases reported. While many countries could successfully flatten their curve, we are yet to see a significant reduction in daily addition. As a result of growing cases, regional lockdown/ containment areas are there. This upsets the supply chain and workforce movement. The increased development of protectionist sentiments is posing another problem. Leading market economies are erecting new walls against foreign investment and suspicious trade modes, driven by coronavirus-triggered economic upheaval and China’s growing assertiveness. There is a likelihood of a rise in bad loans. Multiple reports and experts suggest that NPA levels will increase post-COVID-19. Moratorium and restructuring will only defer the inevitable. There is an increasing conflict of China with many neighbouring countries. India has also recently faced border issues with China, Pakistan, and Nepal. Any war can trigger a pressing impact on the economy and markets, and we hope that this does not happen!

As long as a push is being made by government bodies, individuals, and competitors in the space of Make-in-India properly and efficiently, this call is bound to sustain and survive. The response of consumers is also going to play a crucial role in how things will work out.

“Swadeshi is the only doctrine consistent with the law of humanity and love”

~Mahatma Gandhi

By: Ansh Lodhi

References:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-pushes-for-self-reliant-india-with-make-for-world-call/articleshow/77568558.cms

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmanirbhar_Bharat

https://www.deccanherald.com/national/india-exported-23-lakh-ppe-kits-to-5-countries-in-july-health-ministry-873251.html