Will Make in India yield results?

 Published : Tuesday, 03 February, 2015 11:49 AM

 

 

 

 

Number of participants= 5

 

Time given= 20 minutes

 

 

I certainly feel that the Make in India initiative by the PM NarendraModi will certainly yield positive results for India in the present and future. Today’s masses expect accountability from their Government and creating the Make in India website is the first initiative towards this. The website has been beautifully organised as per different industry sectors such as Automobiles, Auto components, Pharmacy, Biotechnology, Media and Entertainment and others. Within a set format, a summary of these industries is given, along with current status and what needs to be done for growth across them. From Modi’s speeches, it is very clear that he is interested to attract foreign investors towards the country, and appears to be taking necessary steps in the right direction. I think if the Government continues to function by following the blueprint on this website, India has the potential to become a strong Economic powerhouse. 

 

 

I would like to agree with my friend Ram here that Make in India is going to yield initiatives. Compare the status of this Government with the one that was present in India during the 1970s, prior to liberalisation. At that time, PM Indira Gandhi was completely against entry of foreign companies into India, and urged people to use only locally made products.  Due to this, the competitiveness of several of our indigenous products were never at par with international quality standards. Today, NarendraModi is taking all necessary steps to attract foreign investment.  It is about time that industries of the country started functioning in a clear cut manner and a blueprint is drawn for the road ahead. 

 

 

I also wish to agree with my colleagues Vidhi and Ram that India is poised to grow as per the Make in India initiative. If one observes the stock market closely, it can be seen that the market value of a company automatically rises when it received support from the Government. The Modi thinktank has identified the kind of support needed by various industries and going by what he has achieved for Gujarat, I am confident he can do the same for India. We have already witnessed the arrival of Japanese delegates, and more recently the US President to India. I understand that India wishes to project itself as a responsible and upcoming global superpower, which wishes to maintain good relations with various countries of the world. This is certainly one of the major ways to keep investments flowing into the country.

 

 

I wish to shift the focus of my friends and the jury towards the negative side of the Make in India initiative. The BJP has more than 60 years of leadership in the past, and looking at past trends, I do not really feel confident of this initiative. Though it has been done on a global scale, do you really think such measures can be taken practically? I mean, look at the number of candidates with criminal records in the party- over 27. You think such persons will allow the PM to pass or impose any strict measures? I certainly do not think so. With prices of vegetables and general inflation (apart from fuel prices going up), how is it really possible to encourage the industry without making life of the common man miserable? I think it is just a picture of India that Modi wants the world to see, which is really not true.

 

 

If just by making a high quality website we could become global leaders, India would have taken over the world by now. Just look at the number of web designers across the world who are Indians- it is mind boggling. But then, a lot more needs to be done than making websites. We Indians have always been big talkers, but we always tend to fall back when it comes to action. Now look at these issues- even though we are going all gung ho about foreign investment, we tend to overlook basic issues such as land acquisition and administrative reforms. When will a time come when these can be achieved? Also, when will it be less of a hurdle in terms of licenses to start a new business? Have we really been able to tackle these grassroot problems? 

 

 

Make in India is definitely a step in the right direction. A concrete blueprint like this was long overdue from the Government, which is finally visible now. This Government wants to be here for long and wishes to make positive changes, which are also visible. For those complaining about other reforms, well- everything cannot happen at once, right? It will happen in due course of time.