Both fans and sceptics were captivated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” campaign slogan. From his Independence Day address, where he made the initial remark, through his trip to the United States, where he used it as a tool to attract foreign investment, the country learned about the campaign.
The “Make in India” initiative aspires to make India the world’s manufacturing hub, posing a challenge to China’s hegemony in the sector. To cash in on the demographic dividend, Modi has linked this to job development.
To put it another way, firms will come to India to make items rather than simply promote them. As a result, new jobs will be created, resulting in increased economic growth. The ad appeared to be out of touch with India’s job reality at this point.
The government was not the first to focus on the industrial sector in order to improve economic growth and create jobs. The agriculture sector, India’s largest employer, was unable to absorb the additional workers. The rise of the service sector was primarily responsible for the increase in non-farm employment. But, with both sectors now in a state of stagnation, manufacturing had to step in as the next major employment. This was the path that industrialised countries took.
The National Manufacturing Policy was announced by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2011. This was the first time an effort was made to concentrate on this critical area. However, we haven’t seen much of an effect in recent years. By 2015, India required the creation of 220 million jobs.
The manufacturing programme sought to increase the manufacturing sector’s contribution of GDP from 16 percent to 25% by 2021, creating 100 million jobs. This programme was continued by Modi’s “Make in India” initiative. However, when it came to determining what to make, where to manufacture it, and how to manufacture it, a dilemma arose.
A quick look at the campaign’s official website reveals a total of 25 manufacturing-related areas. Twenty-two of these were tied to heavy industries and required specialised technology that India had to rely on from others. This meant that businesses opened stores, hired low-wage workers, and took advantage of a slew of government subsidies to produce goods.
The campaign’s primary roadblock to achieving its goals was just this. Modern manufacturing required a lot of cash and was already employing fewer workers. Furthermore, the Indian labour force that was targeted lacked the necessary qualifications.
Manufacturing also necessitates large-scale land and water resources, which corporations have been unable to obtain in recent years, as they have complained. This reintroduced the tired environmental vs. development debate into the campaign.
Traditional occupations such as handicrafts, textiles, and agro-based activities are highly skilled in India’s labour force. This issue was raised during the development of the 12th Five-Year Plan, and experts concluded that manufacturing in the modern sense would not provide jobs for Indians.
Refocusing on India’s conventional occupations, on the other hand, might result in the creation of 10 million jobs every year. India was a worldwide manufacturing hotspot at the time of independence, with most industries focusing on traditional occupations that took advantage of the country’s rich resources rather than on industrial products.
Indian handicrafts and textiles continue to be in high demand around the world. It continues to employ around 25 million people. And it’s a skill that’s proudly made in India. The new campaign’s message is that a “make in India” programme must include made-in-India skills as an unavoidable component.
Final Words on ‘Make in India’ :
‘Make In India’, the programme has not only geared up the production in the country but also came as a huge opportunity for skilled youth who were unemployed earlier, we don’t see any scope of doubts upon the fact that by initiating ‘Make In India’ programme the government has brought the big positive nation.
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