‘Vocal for Local’ is a concept which dates back to the era of the Swadeshi movement which stared in 1905 as part of the Indian independence movement. As an economic strategy, it helped develop Indian nationalism at the time. After 1947, in the 1950s and 60s, we followed a conscious, socialist pattern of development to create and grow a base of domestic big industry. However, this minimized competition and also encouraged protectionism. The era of the 1990s saw a liberalization of the economies across the world, including in India.
The Make in India initiative was launched by Prime Minister in September 2014 as part of a wider set of nation-building initiatives. Devised to transform India into a global design and manufacturing hub, Make in India was a timely response to a critical situation. By 2013, the much-hyped emerging markets bubble had burst, and India’s growth rate had fallen to its lowest level in a decade. The promise of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) had faded, and India was tagged as one of the so-called ‘Fragile Five’. Global investors debated whether the world’s largest democracy was a risk or an opportunity. India’s 1.2 billion citizens questioned whether India was too big to succeed or too big to fail. India was on the brink of severe economic failure, desperately in need of a big push.
Make in India was launched by Prime Minister against the backdrop of this crisis and quickly became a rallying cry for India’s innumerable stakeholders and partners. It was a powerful, galvanizing call to action to India’s citizens and business leaders, and an invitation to potential partners and investors around the world. But Make in India is much more than an inspiring slogan. It represents a comprehensive and unprecedented overhaul of outdated processes and policies. Most importantly, it represents a complete change of the government’s mindset – a shift from issuing authority to a business partner, in keeping with Prime Minister's tenet of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’.
