Aatmanirbhar Bharat has become the mantra for new India.
1) Introduction
On Indias 74th Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech addressed the nation stating several issues the country is facing ranging from covid 19 pandemic and most importantly the aim to boost domestic manufacturing and increasing self-reliance as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (ABM) and this vision goes beyond economic self-reliance. To understand this better we must briefly understand Indias past. Before foreign invasion, India was a glorious rich nation, also known as the golden bird. Other countries were reliant on India. We had more than enough of everything and lacked nothing. The invasion and cruel rule of Britain left us with more damage and scars than one can imagine. This mission aims to bring India back more powerful.
This article why and how India is moving towards and achieving Aatmanirbharta or self-reliance.
2) Meaning and Ambit of the Mission
Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan refers to the measures taken by the Central Government to make India self-sufficient in areas like infrastructure, services, etc. The value of the economic package is INR 20 lakh crore or 10% of Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP).[1]
This mission was launched during the pandemic, with its main purpose being fighting the pandemic. This envision was emphasized by the developmental process of the COVID-19 vaccine by the Department of Biotechnology.
There are five basic components of this vision, namely economy, demography, system, demand, and infrastructure. After being launched only to fight the vaccination crisis, it has further developed into other dimensions also. They are discussed briefly below- [2]
Economy- the mission aims to build an economy that is ready to take quantum jumps and not incremental changes.
Infrastructure- to create an infrastructure that represents modern India.
Systems- to have technology-driven systems in every field, to fulfill the requirements of the 21st century.
Demography- to become a vibrant democracy of the largest democracy in the world. The vibrant demographic is the millennials of the country who are ambitious enough to upgrade the nation from developing to developed.
Demand- to create a proper demand-supply cycle and achieve full utilization of the power of demand and supply.
3) Objectives
The missions objective is to reduce the dependency of India on any and every foreign product and focus on the production of its substitute within to country to improve compliance and quality of goods, creating a global market share. By reducing imports and increasing make in India and exports, the vision helps the economic growth of the entire world.
It further focuses on Vocal for local, promoting the products produced locally to benefit the country, i.e. being the local products at the global level and hence contributing to glocalization.
For this reason, a package worth 20 lakh crore, equivalent to 10% of Indias GDP, has been released and more is on the way for the laborers, cottage industries, middle-class industries, and MSMEs.
4) Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan in India.
The mission includes a package released at the pandemic's beginning, focusing on land, labour, laws, and liquidity. This package incorporated some funds from the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) and some measures from the Reserve Bank of India.
This mission is to be carried out in two parts- first wherein the sector related to electronics, textiles, medicines, and plastic will work, and the second phase wherein products related to steel, gems, pharmacy, and pieces of jewellery will work.
A few measures taken by the government during the pandemic as a part of this mission are as follows:[3]
In the PMGKY, a relief package of Rs. 1.70 lakh crore was released to fight COVID-19, providing necessities like wheat, pulses gas cylinders, etc.
At the request of the government of India, RBI also increased the ways and means advance limits of states by 60%, and sanctioned Rs 15,000 crores for an emergency health response package.
For businesses and MSMEs, loans were made available without outstanding balances of up to 25 crores and turnover of up to 100 crores. Principal and credit interest guarantee 100% credit coverage for NBFC and banks and for MSMEs, there was no guarantee fee and free collateral. Furthermore, SME loans were collateral-free for 12 months.
Industrial infrastructure was updated, availing industrial land for promoting new investments and making information available on industrial information systems with GIS mapping.
Regarding commercial mining of coal, the government is to allow private sector participation in these fields to promote competition, transparency, etc.
Regarding airspace, restrictions were made on the utilization of Indian air space, making civilian flying more efficient, further optimizing the use of airspace, and reducing the usage of fuel and time. Moreover, the AAI has allowed 3 airports out of 6 to bid for operation and maintenance on a public-private partnership basis. The maintenance cost for airlines was to be reduced.
Power departments in union territories are to be privatized.
The government under this mission also aims to boost private participation in space activities.
Indias position in the World Banks Doing Business report rank shifted from 142 in 2014 to 63 in 2019.
5) Advantages of the mission [4]
It aims to promote local manufacturing, which will not only create employment opportunities and reduce imports to boost the countrys economy.
The campaign encourages innovation and entrepreneurship by providing financial support to local businesses.
It strengthens Indias national security by reducing reliance on imports, especially in defence and technology.
Lastly, by promoting local manufacturing and products, it preserves and promotes Indias rich cultural heritage.
6) Conclusion
The todays India has advanced on its journey to self-reliance. From becoming the first country to reach the moons south pole to having the fastest 5g rollout in the world with one site installed per minute to sealing the worlds largest aircraft deal at 70 billion dollars to the worlds fastest-growing economy to topping in digital payments to setting Guinness book world records, India is on its path to reclaiming its glory and power. This mission does not encourage a self-centered and closed system but aims towards the idea of Vasudev Kutumbakam meaning the idea of a single global family. And considering the speed of growth, the day we accomplish this mission might not be that far ahead.
Citation
1) BYJUs exam prep, Atmanirbhra Bharat Abhiyan- five pillars, key features, objectives, Byjus. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan - Key Features, Schemes, 5 Pillars (byjusexamprep.com)
2) Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Invest India. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan | Self-reliant India Campaign (investindia.gov.in)
3) Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, Invest India. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan | Self-reliant India Campaign (investindia.gov.in)
4) BYJUs exam prep, Atmanirbhra Bharat Abhiyan- five pillars, key features, objectives, Byjus. Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan - Key Features, Schemes, 5 Pillars (byjusexamprep.com)
