Theme & background of Atmanirbhar Bharat

By Prasad Fadanvis

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam ... This is the essence of our culture. About 40 years ago, movements began in the field of information technology in India and young engineers were attracted to this field. A well-paying job and opportunities to go abroad made more and more youth opt for IT in colleges and this led to a revolution in the field of information technology. Even today, Indians dominate all the information technology companies in the world. Many of the company's leading positions are held by Indians in large numbers. India's progress dates back to that time and we brought the concept of 'IT is a kind of global village'.

Swadeshi in the pre-independence period: Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the slogan of a Self-reliant India and the entire world's attention was drawn to it. This concept is not really new. Earlier the term was Swadeshi. Dadabhai Navroji was the first to talk about this concept back in 1905. Lokmanya Tilak took this concept forward and after 1920 Mahatma Gandhi carried it further. We all have read in history that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi used to burn foreign toys during Holi in her childhood. Mahatma Gandhi, on the other hand, shed light on the prosperity of Swadeshi and gave the message of self-reliant villages during the pre-independence era.

Dattopant Thengdi and Dr. Kalam's India 2020: In this context, I think it is necessary to refer to the Indian nationalist Dattopant Thengdi. Through Swadeshi Jagran Manch, he spread the word about Swadeshi all over India. Even today, Swadeshi Jagran Manch is working all over the country insisting on Swadeshi. About 50-60 years ago, Swadeshi Jagran Manch had presented a concept. Accordingly, the price of any product should be printed along with the MRP. But even today may be due to the pressures of trade unions, no government has been able to implement this. The Swadeshi Jagran Manch has given priority to strengthening the economy based on agriculture, domestic technology, and development. The mantra of self-reliance is hidden in Swadeshi.

Former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had come up with a concept about 20-22 years ago. He had dreamed of a Self-Reliant India in his book India 2020. The predictions made about how India will prosper in various fields in 2020 and make a name for itself in the world, as well as the groundwork laid out for it, are coming true to an extent today.

Patriotic Japan: Entire world is bound by free trade agreements with each other through the World Trade Organization. But still, there is an exception to it. By the end of World War II, Japan was almost finished. However, the patriotic citizens there rebuilt Japan. I remember one incident in that case. Japanese women love oranges. They are fans of California oranges in America. The United States sends good quality oranges to Japan, but not a single Japanese woman would buy it. Not only to the United States, but Japanese people showed this to the world that they preferred nationalism over their personal interests. If such patriotism binds Japan together, then even the World Trade Organization will not be able to do much. Even today, the United States cannot sell its goods in Japan.

China developed their production processes by exploring different markets and building a centralized economy. In the last 20-25 years, they have brought about a kind of revolution. China wanted to impose a monopoly, so they did not trade. China makes all the festive items for Indian festivals and sends them to India and Indians buy because these items are cheap and pocket friendly. Many countries depend on China in areas such as children's toys, electronic equipment, and fiber technology.

A lesson to China and self-reliance: In the last six months, China has been wreaking havoc on borders of India. China tried to defuse tensions, first in the Doklam area, and then in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh. The Indian army forced China to retreat, showing its position. The world experienced India's vision and national strategy through it. Meanwhile, China was slowly spreading in the Indian stock market. HDFC Bank has a one percent stake of Chinese investors. With such things in mind, the central government began to impose restrictions on China. For this, many laws were changed. Most importantly, India has shown great courage in banning Chinese mobile applications. It shook China for sure.

The Corona pandemic has hit the world since last December. It all started in China. As a result, there was unrest against China, and there were talks of imposing restrictions. However, India took a quick decision and put some restrictions. Most importantly, the ban on the most popular mobile app in India came as a shocker to everyone. The manufacturing centers of many companies around the world are located in China. While many companies were planning to withdraw from China, various state governments in India decided to make a full-fledged program to move on. (to be continued…)