New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the world is looking at India as a manufacturing powerhouse, while addressing a webinar of DPIIT on ‘Make in India for the World’ on Thursday. “The Union Budget has many significant provisions for Atma Nirbhar Bharat and Make in India. Positive factors like demographic dividend of young and talented population, democratic set up, natural resources should encourage us to move towards Make in India with determination,” he said.
“Aatmanirbharta is all the more important if we see from the prism of national security. Take pride in the products your company makes and instil this sense of pride in your Indian customers as well. You will have to maintain global standards and you will also have to compete globally,” he said.
He pointed towards supply chain disruptions during the pandemic and other uncertainties to underline the critical importance of Make in India. Manufacturing, he said, is 15 per cent of India’s GDP, but there are infinite possibilities before Make in India and we should work with full strength to create a robust manufacturing base in India, he said.
The Prime Minister gave the examples of new demand and opportunities in sectors like semi-conductors and electric vehicles where manufacturers should move with a sense of removing dependencies on foreign sources. Similarly, areas like steel and medical equipment need to be focussed for indigenous manufacturing, he said.
The Prime Minister stressed the difference between availability of a product as opposed to availability of made in India products in the market. He reiterated his dismay that many of the supplies for India’s various festivals are seeing foreign providers whereas they have been and can be easily provided by local manufacturers.
The Prime Minister highlighted the need to find new destinations for the local products. He exhorted the private sector to enhance spending on R&D and to diversify and upgrade their product portfolio. Referring to the declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Prime Minister said “The demand for millets is increasing in the world. By studying the world markets, we should prepare our mills in advance for maximum production and packaging.”
This budget has given significant importance to MSME through credit facilitation and technology upgradation. The government has also announced a RAMP program of Rs 6,000 crore for MSMEs. The budget has also focused on developing new railway logistics products for farmers, for large industries and MSMEs. The integration of postal and railway networks will solve the problems of connectivity in small enterprises and remote areas.
The Prime Minister mentioned removal of 25 thousand compliances and auto renewal of licences, leading to significant reduction in the compliance burden. Similarly, digitization is bringing speed and transparency in the regulatory framework. “From Common Spice Form to National Single Window System to setting up a company, now you are feeling our development friendly approach at every step,” he added. /BI/
