ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT

 Atmanirbhar Bharat 

1. Historical context (flash back ) 

What ? 

Why ? 

When ? 

2. Pros and cons ? 

How much it has progressed ? 

What is the current situation ?

What is the criticism ? 

What are the positives ? 

3. Future aspects ?? 

1. Government efforts 

2. What we can do ? 

4. Conclusion 

History and the WHY ? 

On May 12, 2020 at around 8 pm during the Covid 19 pandemic our pm  shri narendra modi formally announced an initiative known as atmanirbhar bharat - A self reliant INDIA.

The Roots has been taken from 

Gandhi' s swadeshi movement - which mahatma gandhi implemented to reduce the dependency on British goods and after independence our  india followed socialist model influenced by the Soviet union and it was mainly focused on self reliance and public sector led economic growth. However there was economic crisis in 1991 and government announced the LPG scheme which led our Indian economy open up for foreign investment and imports. 

This is a brief intro of how a country which followed a socialist economic model was transformed into a country which is open for foreign investment and imports.

Why there is a real need for this ?

1. Imports >>>> exports

 which means we have to pay the exporting country in their currency for example india imports almost 85% of its crude oil  requirements from arab countries and the payment is usually made in dollars.  When there is a need for higher crude oil it increases the demand for foreign currency in the forex market  which means we need to pay more rupees to buy the dollars and as a result it increases the value of a dollar. Since crude oil is refined into fuel, it increases the cost of the product which is transported , it ultimately results in inflation and lowering of the purchasing power of a comman man. 

2. Technology and data security 

Heavy reliance on foreign imports will make India vulnerable to cyber risks. Over reliance on foreign countries will make India be dependent on their policies and sanctions, which makes our country weaker. 

3. Supply chain disruption 

India imports around 70 % of its pharmaceutical raw materials from china during 2020 when china restricted its exports automatically the price of the medicine in India increased rapidly. Fortunately serum institute of india produced Covid 19 vaccine which helped our country and after this incident the objectives of this scheme got further strengthened. 

4. Escaping the debt trap 

When India imports heavily it will lead to trade deficit ( value of imports >>> value of exports ) which means dependence on foriegn goods and to finance this deficit a need  arises to borrow heavily from fii and world bank to repay the exporting country. We will become debtors and what the creditors will do they would take over the properties of the debtors to recover  their dues which eventually  happend to sri lankha due to their heavy dependency of imports from china 

5. Cultural identity in global markets 

Atmanirbhar bharat is crucial for promoting India's cultural identity in global markets. When  a nation becomes self reliant it doesn't just manufacture goods it shapes global perceptions instead of being just a consumer of foreign culture, India can be a trendsetter. 

 take yoga and Ayurveda as an example both deeply rooted in Indian culture but foreign companies have commercialized them. If India were truly self reliant in branding, manufacturing and exporting these products at scale the world wouldn't be buying those products from foreign companies. Instead indian companies would lead the market and it would ensure  the authenticity and economic benefits remain with the country. 

6. Reducing brain drain and to retain indian talent. 

Our India has some of the best minds in science, business and technology but many skilled professionals migrate to foreign countries to find better opportunities. For example Sundar pichai had to leave india to achieve global success. Imagine creating that kind of opportunities in India i.e atmanirbhar bharat.