‘Make in India’ is an excellent initiative by the Government of India…, but the concept is nothing new and every preceding Government has in its own way pushed for increased manufacturing within the country… What is new is the single-minded thrust which the current Government is giving to this newly coined term.
To succeed, we should first ‘Make India’ a worthy place for ‘Make in India’ and that can only be done if we have ‘Clean India’, ‘Skilled India’ and ‘Corruption-free India’– if these three areas for ‘Make India’ are taken care of, I firmly believe that all other requirements for sustainable growth of manufacturing will follow automatically.
Encouragingly, all three areas are under the priority scanner of the Government. The now globally famous ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ or the Clean India Mission is among the favourite agendas of the Prime Minister and with big corporates and celebrities endorsing the mission, it is bound to pick-up tempo. With a cleaner country other infrastructural issues and bottlenecks will fall in line.
‘Clean India’ also implies a ‘Healthy India’ where every citizen is aware of personal hygiene and demands the right to live in a clean environment. It is often said the real wealth of this country is its people…, but weak and sick masses can be constraining chains to growth. The various initiatives on health care are a promise of a better and healthier India… We are on the right track but the pace needs to quicken up.
The ‘Skilled India’ thrust has been emphasized time and again through various Government schemes promoting integrated skill development. In the garment industry, we have seen both Government and private sector efforts to create fresh worker base from remote areas… A lot still needs to be done in this direction, but the thrust is clearly spelt out in the intention of the Government.
Last but not the least; we need a ‘Corruption-free’ country… Many elections have been fought and won on this plank… The country is clearly, and in strong words, saying ‘NO’ to corruption…!
I am very confident that if we as a country achieve these three magical goals…, India will be on the top priority of every investor.
Yet, my thoughts don’t stop here… Is it enough to ‘Make in India’…, I think not!
We as a nation are ‘thinkers and creative beings’ – our art forms, culture and even our obsession with jugaad indicates how we can mould and innovate. In that case, should we not be talking about ‘Innovated in India’?
The textile and garment industry in particular flourishes on creativity… We have never been good at just producing like China or even Bangladesh for that matter. Buyers come to us for product development and that is where we have made our niche. I strongly feel that we should push for the positioning of a nation that has the wherewithal to innovate and manufacture.
Some of the best innovative brains in the world today are Indians, and some of the biggest innovative businesses are being led by Indians…, is this not an indication of where India needs to position itself and its resources…
As thought leaders, backed by the three ‘Make India’ initiatives…, I am sure great achievements can be made. But then all this would be wistful thinking if there is no action…, and I firmly believe that it is not only the responsibility of the Government to be proactive, citizens too must play their role in quickening the process of change.
My disappointment is not the result of Government’s initiatives and in some cases inaction, but the bureaucrats misinterpretation of the Government’s intent… I have many examples through my participation in various tendering processes where the intent of the Government and the initiative are both excellent, but the same has been turned around to benefit only a few, with no long-term vision.
