If there is one policy idea that Narendra Modi will be remembered for in years to come, it will be his reinterpretation of the old idea of self-reliance in the emerging global context as aatmanirbharta. In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US has responded with widespread economic sanctions that may not just cripple the Russian economy, but may well also inflict collateral damage on the global economy as a whole.
Modi's Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (ABA) was initially a response to Chinese aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LoAC) and a growing feeling in India that the economy's dependence on imports from China, contributing to a huge trade deficit, should be reduced. This concern became acute when India found itself in dire need of Covid-related equipment and medicines in the middle of a pandemic and a border clash.
Even as India sought to reduce its economic dependence on China, trade policy actions by Donald Trump drew attention to the continued western pressure on India and other developing economies to widen the trade policy agenda to suit US interests. On top of these developments came the realisation that India was still dependent on Russia for critical defence equipment. The emerging relationship between Russia and China, on the one hand, and Russia and the US, on the other, made New Delhi prioritise 'Make in India' in defence manufacturing.
From pharmaceuticals to electronics hardware, telecom to internet-based services, semiconductors to missiles, India found itself dependent on other countries for vital technologies. It was in this context that the scope of ABA widened. Indeed, every time India has been subject to external economic pressures, constraints or sanctions, the country's political leadership, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Modi, has had no option but to emphasise the importance of self-reliance.
Read more at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/why-modi-govt-needs-to-speed-up-self-reliant-india-mission/articleshow/90277728.cms
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