Leading towards India- a new Global Superpower
“When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty, trust him completely. Because only two things can happen- either he will catch you when you fall, or he will teach you how to fly.”
This famous saying is becoming relevant these days of Corona Crisis, particularly in the case of India. When the entire world has been forced to face the difficulty named as COVID 19, every country has been struggling in their respective ways, but still all eyes are on India. The primary reason for this is the way India has been fighting with this Virus, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. He is the only leader in the World, who is not waiting for God to catch while falling; rather his focus is on making his country & people fly. Not only India has become self sufficient for all the resources required to fight Corona Virus, but Modi Government is all set with a huge plan to come out of the Economy Crisis as well.
PM Modi is ready with his multi-dimensional economy booster plan called ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, or Self-reliant India, which will focus on many factors of Economy all together. This has announced recently, but if we analyze, this had been started much before, at the time Corona virus had entered our Nation. Almost 3.5 months back, when India faced Corona Virus initially, we suddenly became short of Sanitizers, Disinfectants, Face Masks & PPE Kits. We were also not sure of how to arrange the Ventilators & Isolation or Treatment Beds/Hospitals, that was projected to meet the future needs, seeing the Strength & Criticality of Virus. But in the short span of time, we actually became self sufficient in all the above requirements, just because of the vision & planning of Modi Government, and now we are at the stage that we have excess of all these. Also, we should not forget to mention about the Implementation of Nationwide Lockdown, at a right time, which has made Corona crisis in India controllable to much extent.
The above achievements of Modi Government can be categorized under Atmanirbhar Bharat program only, which we have attained even before the announcement of the program, which made all other countries & international bodies such as United Nation & World Health Organization to praise India & its efforts to fight with this Virus. These achievements become more significant at the times, when the Global Superpowers are kneeling down in front of the havoc of this virus, but India has been fighting hard with all its strength and its head up. In a way, the entire world has already seen the Trailer of India’s upcoming Film of Self Reliance.
“It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed.” This strongly summarizes the Dream & Purpose of Modi ji’s Atmanirbhar Bharat. This will uplift not just the drowning Economy as a whole, but will augment all other important factors of Economy too.
As PM Modi says, Jaan bhi, Jahaan bhi, which simply means Life must go on. We all know that our lives are in danger because of Corona Virus outbreak, still the fact is Lockdown cannot be forever. So we all have to learn to live with this virus, taking care of our lives by individual precautionary & safety measures. In this battle, we not only need to protect ourselves but also have to keep moving forward. But the question is, how to revive the Economy and get back to our previous sources of income? The answer is PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat Program.
A self-reliant India will stand on five pillars viz. Economy, which brings in quantum jump and not incremental change; Infrastructure, which should become the identity of India; System, based on 21st century technology driven arrangements; Vibrant Demography, which is our source of energy; and Demand, whereby the strength of our demand and supply chain should be utilized to full capacity. Here the importance of strengthening all stakeholders in the supply chain becomes more crucial.
PM Modi announced a special economic package and gave a clarion call for Atmanirbhar Bharat. This package, taken together with earlier announcements by the government during COVID crisis and decisions taken by RBI, is to the tune of Rs 20 lakh crore, which is equivalent to almost 10% of India’s GDP. This package will provide a much needed boost towards achieving ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, focusing on land, labour, liquidity and laws. It will cater to various sections including cottage industry, farmers, MSMEs, labourers, middle class, and industries, among others.
Several bold reforms are needed to make the country self-reliant, so that the impact of crisis such as COVID, can be negated in future. These reforms include supply chain reforms for agriculture, rational tax system, simple and clear laws, capable human resource and a strong financial system. These reforms will promote business, attract investment, and further strengthen Make in India. Self-reliance will prepare the country for tough competition in the global supply chain & will increase efficiency in various sectors along with ensuring quality.
There is one more important aspect of this Atmanirbhar Bharat, and that is the Local Goods & Services. The crisis has taught us the importance of local manufacturing, local market and local supply chains. All our demands during the crisis are being met ‘locally’. PM Modi urges to be vocal about the local products and help these local products become global, so that it will boost up the MSME sectors & Make in India both.
Getting Growth Back is the major focus of Modi Government, so that we can have a stable economy post Corona. And as citizens, we should be happy, relaxed & relieved to know that our PM is very much confident to get our Growth back on track, having faith on his country’s Capabilities, Crisis management, Talent, Technology, Intellect, Farmers, Entrepreneurs & Private Sector. Government is prioritising on Re-strengthening Economy against Corona and is taking the decisions that are required immediately and also those that are required in the long run.
PM Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat will be built upon five important bricks- Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure & Innovation. The PM said “For us reforms are not any random or scattered decisions. For us reforms are systemic, planned, integrated, inter-connected and futuristic processes. For us, reforms means having the courage to take decisions, and taking them to a logical conclusion.” Here we should mention few important reforms that has been implemented by Modi Government- Taxation Reforms, Banking Reforms, Agricultural Reforms, Manufacturing reforms, IT reforms & Labour reforms, which will surely going to play major role in Atmanirbhar Bharat.
After the allocation of Atmanirbhar Bharat Fund to various sectors & schemes by Ministry of Finance, now another important step has been taken by PMO, that is, setting up of Empowered Group of Secretaries (EGoS) & Project Development Cell. This is going to play a pivotal role in establishing Atmanirbhar Bharat, as it will focus on making India an Investment Hub of the World. It will facilitate investors for investing in India by synching it with related incentive policies. PM focuses on the need to invest for the creation of a Robust Local Supply Chain that strengthens India’s stake in the Global Supply Chain. He stressed for the need to have products ‘Made in India, Made for the World.’
Recent announcement in Atmanirbhar Bharat Package, has been the setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) worth Rs. 15000 crore. Government has been implementing several schemes for incentivizing the investment made by dairy cooperative sector for development of dairy infrastructure. However, government realizes that even MSMEs and Private companies also need to be promoted and incentivized for their involvement in processing and value addition infrastructure. AHIDF would facilitate much needed incentivisation of investments in establishment of such infrastructure for dairy and meat processing and value addition infrastructure and establishment of animal feed plant in the private sector. The eligible beneficiaries under the Scheme would be Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), MSMEs, Section 8 Companies, Private Companies and individual entrepreneur with minimum 10% margin money contribution by them.
The expectation of India from the world has increased and they trust India more. India helped more than 150 countries with medical supplies, and we have reached to a situation where the world is looking for a trusted, reliable partner, in India. And we have that potential, strength and ability; which is why we say that India is going to be Next Global Superpower. PM stressed that Getting Growth Back is not so difficult either. The biggest thing is that now Indian Industries have a clear path that is Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which means that we will become stronger and embrace the world. Aatmanirbhar Bharat implies to be fully integrated & supportive with the world economy. Self-reliance, according to PM Modi, is different from being self-centered. He said that India’s culture considers the world as one family, and progress in India also contributes to the progress in the whole world, and the world trusts that India has a lot to contribute towards the development of the entire humanity.
According to a famous saying- “A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” And PM Modi also says that the greatest strength of a human being is that he always finds a way to move out of the difficult situation. This becomes more relevant & prominent when we have the Will and the Way too.
(The writer is a film Critic- All India Radio & Cinema Expert with National News Channels, a Human Resource Management Professional and District Convenor (East Delhi) – Beti Bachao Beti Padhao)