The Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), that pitches for swadeshi or indigenous production will initiate a pan-India Swadeshi Swavlamban Abhiyan (self-reliance campaign) to promote local production that will in turn generate jobs.
A comprehensive plan is being drawn that will involve workers, farmers, small scale entrepreneurs, academicians, technocrats, industry and trade leaders to create awareness about the benefits of promoting swadeshi or local products said Ashwani Mahajan, the national co convenor of the SJM.
The SJM’s renewed push for local has picked pace after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India should go vocal about local even as it should be part of global supply chains.
The SJM, however, said self-reliance means ‘swadeshi’ only; and it can be achieved by rejuvenating indigenous industry, including small scale industries, small businesses, artisans, rural industries, including food processing industry, and other non-farm activities.
Mahajan said there are over 700 MSME clusters in the country, with a long and prosperous history of industrial development, however, many of these industrial clusters suffered because of “unfair competition from China and unfair import policies”.
“They have to be supported and strengthened by all means so that they not only create employment opportunities but also produce high quality products at the most economical cost,” Mahajan said.
The SJM has made cluster studies to identify problems faced by the local industry and more studies will be carried out in a mission mode to revive domestic industry, he said.
Citing examples of how jobs can be generated in the rural areas, he said there are opportunities for agro-based activities, including food processing, poultry, dairy, fishing, mushroom farming, bamboo farming, floriculture, horticulture, among others.
“It is unfortunate that policy makers in the past never posed trust in indigenous talent, resources and knowledge and therefore, over emphasised on the public sector and later on foreign capital and MNCs. PM Modi’s recent call that we have to be vocal for local is a pleasant departure from the existing policy on globalisation and liberalisation, especially foreign capital dependent model of development,” Mahajan said.
To be sure, union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week announced a series of relief measures for the MSME sector as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package.
In response to the MSMEs demand for a financial package, the finance minister announced that the government and central public sector enterprises will release all pending MSME payments in 45 days; government will facilitate the provision of Rs 20,000 crore as subordinate debt; infuse Rs 50,000 in equity in MSMEs through a fund of funds and expanded the MSME definition.
