Make in India: Gangajal for starters. The launch of the "Make in India" campaign was as much about the new initiative as about the man behind it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the star of the occasion as a galaxy of industry leaders showered praise on him for his vision as Modi connected and bonded with the large gathering in his chatty, conversational style.
Modi gave new meaning to the old acronym “FDI – first develop India (apart from foreign direct investment)” – in his nearly 40-minute speech that was political in parts but largely focused on ways to make India a manufacturing destination.
By the time he ended his speech amidst cheers, Modi got a standing ovation from the gathering that included industry leaders from India and outside, diplomats and senior government officials.
Modi had first articulated “Make in India” initiative during his Independence Day address and the launch of the mission took place after almost a month. He also evoked symbolism in his speech, referring to ISRO’s success in having a successful Mars mission on debut and pitched it as a demonstration of capability of India’s people.
He also said that “Make in India” launch coincided with the start of Navratras (a period considered auspicious by Hindus) and mentioned that the launch was also taking place on the birth anniversary of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, an ideologue of his Bharatiya Janata Party.
The main plenary hall, as also the six conference rooms of the Vigyan Bhavan complex was packed with representatives of the corporate world, diplomats and key government functionaries. The prime minister, in fact, began his speech by apologising to the invitees who had to listen to him standing since every seat was taken.
The tone for the event was set by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sithraman, who in her brief but lucid address, pointed to the initiatives of the government to boost growth and manufacturing while admitting that the country in the past had been identified with “red tapism” and “inspector raj.”
“We are fully conscious and want to chart out a new course,” she said. Incidentally, Sithraman was the only minister to speak of the eight ministers present on the dais apart from Modi. She said the government had identified 25 sectors “in which India can become the world leader”.
Modi’s leadership emerged as a common thread in the speeches of industry leaders.
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said that a unique leadership quality of prime minister was that he “dreams and does”.
“He also motivates billion Indians to dream and do,” Ambani added.
ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar said he was inspired by “boldness” of Modi’s vision as also his “simplicity of communication”.
Wipro chairman Azim Premji and ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochharwere among those who praised Modi’s vision in launching the “Make in India” initiative.
In his speech, Modi also took a dig at the UPA government, stating that flight of capital had started taking place during its rule. Without naming Congress, he said that party leaders had now stopped taking credit for the financial inclusion scheme as they realise they could not implement it properly.
The sleekly produced audio-visual clips on the mission drew on the country’s past to pave the way in the future. The Askok Chakra (wheel) drawn from the national emblem was the central motif of the event as it metamorphosed into tools in the audio-visual clips and then finally fitting into a lion, the official emblem.
Laying out the red carpet before investors, the prime minister said: “After what we have done and what I hear from you, I don’t think I need to assure you any further on ‘Make in India’.” He hoped industry across the globe will take his invite seriously.
He said he was saddened in the past to see scores of Indians leaving the country to seek opportunities elsewhere. People have lost faith in Indian manufacturing and themselves. “We do not want any industrialist being forced to leave India,” he said.
“A trust was broken — that when a policy will be changed, when will the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) come. This is what I heard from all you. The biggest issue is trust. Why don’t we trust each other? I want to change that.”
The prime minister said for him the term FDI for the domestic industry did not expand to “foreign direct investment” but “first develop India”. “We have to create opportunities of employment. If the poor get jobs the purchasing power of families will increase.”
Pointing to campaign logo, he said: “This is the step of a Lion… Make in India.”
“Make in India is not a slogan but a mission to be accomplished with a single-minded commitment.”
“This programme offers a unique and timely opportunity to make India truly global,” Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry said, adding, countries attain high standards with a vibrant industrial economy and the biggest challenge is to create jobs for millions of youth.
Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, said his Japanese group was among the first to invest in India and remains committed to the country. He said he was sure India will eventually become one of the most competitive economies.
“Today we commit ourselves to the ‘Make in India’ movement that was given to us by our beloved prime minister,” Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani said. He said the main task before the industry in India was to achieve global competitiveness.
The other speakers included Wipro’s Azim Premji, Aditya Birla Group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla, ICICI Bank’s Chanda Kochhar, Lockheed Martin’s Phil Shaw, and ITC’s Y.C. Deveshwar.
The Maruti Suzuki chief said his Japanese group was among the first to invest in India and remains committed to the country. He said he was sure India would eventually become one of the most competitive economies.
Some 10 corporate honchos were invited to speak at the event at the Vigyan Bhavan conference complex here.
ICICI Bank chief executive Chanda Kochhar said the “make in India” campaign will not just drive India’s growth but add millions of jobs.
“Manufacturers and bankers would like to ensure that whatever gets made in India is the best product available globally, at competitive cost,” said Kochhar. She said the manufacturing sector can add some 90 million jobs over the next decade.
ITC’s Y.C. Deveshwar said the prime minister had identified the right opportunity for India and that it was necessary to correct the systemic faults which industry and the country have been suffering from in the past.
He, too, maintained that India has a very good demographic potential given its huge youth population and this was the constituency that would benefit the most on account of the new campaign.
Both Deveshwar and Ambani made some announcements. Ambani said some Rs.80,000 crore will be invested by the group in the next 12-15 months to create 120,000 jobs, while Deveshwar said his company’s next investment destination was Madhya Pradesh.
“Manufacturing has to become the next big wave for us.” maintained Aditya Vikram Birla Group’s Kumar Mangalam Birla. “This Make in India campaign is a clarion call that will galvanise India’s economy to reach greater heights,” he said.
The “Make in India” campaign was launched simultaneously in Jakarta, Indonesia, with some of the top Indonesian companies using the occasion to speak about their investment plans in India, notably in palm oil sector, food processing, textiles and chemicals.
At a panel discussion that followed the launch, led by India’s Ambassador Gurjit Singh, the other sectors identified for investments included construction, smart city projects, IT, auto components and skill development.
“There was a great eagerness among the participants with Prime Minister Modi’s ideas, as Indonesia is also on the cusp of change of government and is looking for similar changes and reforms,” said an official statement issued by the Indian embassy.
“There was also a great interest in the announcements as most of the participants were looking forward to such reforms and resurgence of the Indian economy which is seen as an important partner of Indonesia.”
The guests included representatives of all the leading industry chambers, captains of Indonesian industries, investors in India, heads of multinational corporations, as also several Indian investors in this country.
The panel discussion was moderated by Sachin Gopalan, the chief editor of BeritaSatu Media group, and Iwan Soetrisna and Mufti Hamka Hasan of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The ambassador also announced a special window for potential investors to match the single window scheme in India, even as the Jakarta Globe carried his opinion to draw the attention of stakeholders to the rejuvenation of the Indian economy and India’s renewed interest to participate with South East Asia and Indonesia. (IANS)