# Atmanirbhar Bharat

Atmanirbhar Bharat, which translates to 'self-reliant India', is a phrase the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, and, his government (BJP, Bhartiya Janta Party) used and popularized in relation to the country's economic development plans. The phrase is an umbrella concept for the BJP's plans for India to play a larger role in the world economy, and for it to become more efficient, competitive, and, resilient.
Modi has used the English phrase since 2014 about national security, poverty, and digital India. The first popular use of the phrase in Hindi was Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-Reliant India Mission) during the announcement of India's COVID-19 pandemic economic package in 2020. Since then, the phrase has been used by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Ministry of Education, and, the Ministry of Defence in press releases, statements, and policies. The government has also used the phrase in relation to India's new National Education Policy, and, the 2021 Union budget of India. The concept under Modi's premiership has been adapted from earlier uses of the phrase in the Indian sub-continent.

## History

In 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged slogans such as "atmanirbharta"(pronounced ˈaːt̪mənɪrbʱərət̪), "Make in India" and "vocal for local" were adapted from Gandhi's efforts towards Swadeshi. Pre-independence aspirations that had been forgotten are now being revived and adapted, and are being put into practice.

### Defence sector

As of 2022, over half of India's military equipment is either Soviet or Russian. The defence sector also required self-sufficiency in military logistics, including food during emergencies.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is going to amend the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020. Under the new rules, the private sector will be allowed to form joint ventures with public sector undertakings in India by acquiring a 51% stake. The private sector will also be allowed to export 25% of the production to third countries. Indian Armed Forces also gave assurance that they would purchase the end product. Indian Multi-Role Helicopter is the first major project to follow this process.

### Atmanirbhar Bharat

During the coronavirus pandemic in India, the lockdown, and an existing slowdown in the growth of the domestic economy and the economic impact of the pandemic, the government issued an adapted idea of self-reliance. On 12 May 2020, Prime Minister Modi publicly used the Hindi phrase for the first time when he said; (trans.) "The state of the world today teaches us that (Atma Nirbhar Bharat) 'Self-reliant India' is the only path. It is said in our scriptures—EshahPanthah. That is—self-sufficient India." While the speech was in Hindi, the reference by thePress Information Bureau to both "self-reliance" and "self-sufficiency" caused some confusion. Under Modi's Supervision, the Indian government issued an economic package called the "Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan" (transl. Self-reliant India Mission). It was met with a mixed response.
According to The Economist Swaminathan Aiyar, "atmanirbhar" can be translated as both self-reliance and self-sufficiency. In the 1960s and 1970s, India's drive for self-sufficiency was unsuccessful, and doing the same thing again is not advisable. Sadanand Dhume was skeptical of the terminology and language related to the phrase, and whether it was meant for the revival of pre-liberalization era policies. "Aatmanirbharta" or Self-Reliance was the Oxford Hindi Word of the Year in 2020.
This adapted plan for self-reliance or "aatmarnibharta" emerged including a readiness to associate and challenge the global economy, unlike the past decades where there had been a wish to disassociate, such as during the pre-independence Swadeshi movement and with post-independence foreign aid. Swadeshi, however, has been adapted with slogans such as "vocal for local" while at the same time, global interconnectedness is being promoted. The government aims to reconcile this; according to the Economist Intelligence Unit; "The policies created by Modi's aims to reduce domestic market access to imports, but at the same time open the economy and export to the rest of the world".
Along with the coronavirus pandemic, Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan could be seen in the context of India-China border relations and India's economic dependence on China in some sectors. Calls for India to boycott Chinese products and promote an Atmanirbhar Bharat. In contrast, India faces practical challenges in the near term, as it imports ₹6.4 trillion or US$75 billion worth of goods from China annually and certain sectors of its economy are reliant on China. Following the Galwan Valley skirmish on 15 June 2020, which resulted in a number of deaths, Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said if the government was serious about making India self-reliant, Chinese companies should not be given contracts for projects such as the Delhi–Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. A Chinese company was awarded a contract for 5.6 km (3.5 miles) of the project.
While Atmanirbhar Bharat has been extensively promoted during the premiership of Narendra Modi, especially in rhetoric and speeches, this is not always apparent in government policies. There has been concern Atmanirbhar Bharat is political messaging that has no economic impact. India's trade deficit restricts a reduction in dependence on imports, restricting protectionism and isolationism. Protectionist tendencies such as tariff increases, however, have been seen during this phase. The general trend of the Modi government has been to support domestic industries rather than global ones. Subsidies are being used as incentives to get global business leaders into India. The initiative has been accused of crony capitalism and of giving false hope to small businesses that align with the messaging. On 7 December 2021, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh said for India to be self-reliant, states must be self-reliant.

## Use by the NDA government

Prime Minister Modi used the phrase "self-reliance" in June 2014 about defense manufacturing for self-reliance in national security. He reiterated this over the years; in 2018, he spoke of the need for India to make its weapons. In August 2014, he connected self-reliance to Digital India, in September 2014 about making the poor self-reliant, and in March 2022 in relation to technologies.
Proponents of Atmanirbhar Bharat, including Modi and his cabinet ministers for finance and law, have said this self-reliance policy does not aim to be protectionist, exclusionist or isolationist. For India, self-reliance means being a larger and more important part of the world economy. The concept requires policies that are efficient and resilient, and encourage equity and competitiveness. It means being self-sustaining and self-generating; and creating "wealth and values not only for ourselves but for the larger humanity". In March 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign is not about bringing back socialism or import substitution, rather the intent is to boost manufacturing. The five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat are economy, infrastructure, technology-driven systems, vibrant demography, and demand.

### COVID-19 pandemic initiatives

The research, development, and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccinations in India was connected in separate statements to atmanirbharta by the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, and other Union ministers. Modi stated; "Made in India vaccines are a symbol of Atmanirbhar Bharat".
On 12 May, 12 October, and 12 November 2020, the government announced a total of three Atmanirbhar Bharat packages worth ₹29.87 trillion (equivalent to ₹35 trillion or US$400 billion in 2023) in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The second and third economic stimulus packages were labeled Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan 2.0 and 3.0. As part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat packages, the government decided to change the definition of Small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), boosting the scope for private participation in several sectors, increasing FDI in the defence sector; and the changes found support in many sectors such as solar energy manufacturing.
The growth of India's personal protective equipment (PPE) sector from limited production before March 2020 to 450,000 pieces a day by the beginning of July 2020, is considered an example of a self-reliant India. The PPE industry in India became a ₹100 billion (equivalent to ₹120 billion or US$1.3 billion in 2023) industry in three months, the second largest after China.
In July 2020, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution issued a statement placing food rationing within the ambit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. In August 2020, following the migrant workers crisis during the pandemic, the same ministry made a statement placing the welfare of migrants within the concept's ambit.

### Other initiatives

The importance of education and research for self-reliance has been recognised. In an address to the students of Visva-Bharati University, the new National Education Policy of India was connected to the creation of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, and Prime Minister Modi challenged the students to make the villages surrounding the university self-reliant. The Indian Minister of Education has also stressed the link between education and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Educationist and university administrator C. Raj Kumar said the vision of an 'Atmanirbhar University' combines the vision of John Henry Newman's work "Idea of a University" with the Humboldtian model of higher education. Apex public education bodies such as AICTE have asked universities to use Indian books where possible in an effort to promote Atmanirbhar Bharat. The home minister acknowledged the new policy also gives due importance to svabhasha, the Indian language.
During a speech in 2017, Prime Minister Modi said his government was trying to tap human capital flight, and had the aim of engaging India's diaspora. To this effect, new organisations such as IN–SPACe in the space sector would aim to channel India's space talent. Dependence in the pharmaceutical sector upon active pharmaceutical ingredients is being addressed; out of 53 raw materials that were imported, 35 were being produced in India by March 2022.
In August 2020, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the Defence Ministry was "now ready for a big push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative" by imposing import prohibitions on 101 military items in a staged manner over five years. In the following months, more positive indigenisation lists and negative import lists were released. New legislation was portrayed as initiative towards increasing India's self-reliance. A new category of procurement, Indian Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (Indian-IDDM) was created. Reform of the Ordnance Factory Board and giving the new defence PSU units large-scale orders was a move towards military self-reliance. Equipment manufactured under Indian-IDDM has been handed over to the military. In the fiscal year 2022, the Ministry of Defense decided to spend 65% of its capital budget on domestic procurement. Increased self-reliance is also being seen in the construction of its warships and submarines.
The phrase was also connected to the 2021, and 2022 Union budgets. Targets for self-reliance in fertiliser production by 2023 have been announced. Government-backed events to provide for the implementation and promotion of self-reliance, and associated slogans such as 'vocal for local' have materialised in the form of the country's first national toy fair, which was digitally launched in February 2021, and the associated brainstorming event Toycathon. In July 2020, the government launched the Atmanirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge to encourage the building of apps. 6,940 entries were received, of which 24 apps were chosen as winners, including mapping apps, fact-checking apps and cricket games. The challenge's success led to its continuation through another round of entry submission. Government schemes also support the implementation of self-reliant initiatives.

### Slogans

Slogans initiated under Atmanirbhar Bharat include "vocal for local", '"local for global", "make for world" and "brain drain to brain gain".

#### Vocal for local

Products should be "made in India" and promoted to make them competitive. During the Independence Day speech in 2020, Prime Minister Modi said; "The mindset of free India should be 'vocal for local'. We should appreciate our local products if we don't do this then our products will not get the opportunity to do better and will not get encouraged." Amul managing director RS Sodhi said the phrase vocal for local "meant that products be made competitive vis-a-vis global brands" and that "it didn't mean that one must only buy products that have a logo 'made in India' on it". An extension of this slogan is 'local for global', meaning locally made Indian products should have global appeal and reach. The slogan has been extended to sectors such as toy manufacturing; "time to be vocal for local toys".

#### Make for the world

Prime Minister Modi, during the 2020 Independence speech, said "Make for World" should go together with 'Make in India' and that the slogan "Make for World" should be a key slogan like 'Make in India' is. A variation of the slogan is "Make in India for the world". Arvind Panagariya, the first vice-chairperson of NITI Aayog, said in an interview with Govindraj Ethiraj that implementation of the slogan is a matter of optics and policy change.

## Domestic commentary

In June 2020, India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said; "At least don't buy Ganesha idols from China" after commenting on India over-reliance on "non-essential" Chinese imports.
Atmanirbhar Bharat has been called a re-packaged version or revival of the Make in India movement using new slogans such as "Vocal for Local". Opposition members have spoken about India enacting policies and building companies since its creation to make the nation self-reliant—Steel Authority of India (SAIL) for steel production, IIT for domestic engineers, All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for medical science, Defence Research and Development Organisation for defence research, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for aviation, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for space research, Central Coalfields (CCL), NTPC and GAIL in the area of energy; criticizing the advertising tactics. Some have re-phrased it as "Fend For Yourself" campaign; it has also been called "economic nationalism". It has been noted the phrase has been used so extensively that it has become "India's overarching national policy for growth and development". Unfinished reforms in the atmanirbhar Bharat agenda span from government reform to urban reform to civil service reform.
Arvind Panagariya has criticized policies of self-sufficiency and protectionism as opposed to free trade in the context of India's past.

## International reactions

By mid-2021, a number of global policy experts and those in the Indian diaspora acknowledged Atmanirbhar Bharat is a good initiative while acknowledging doubts the initiative still carries. In June 2021, Vinai Thummalapally, former US ambassador to Belize, said India's global exports of manufacturing products are low and that through this program, competitive, valuable products would lead to export-led growth. Nisha Desai Biswal, an American businesswoman, has said the lack of clarity on the definition of Atmanirbhar Bharat has resulted in a "pause" and that the program could be counter-productive. Freddy Svane, Denmark's ambassador to India, and Himanshu Gulati, Member of Parliament Norway, have both stated Denmark and Norway can help India in its self-reliant mission in the area of energy-efficient technologies.
In June 2021, the UK India Business Council conducted a survey that found a majority of companies found Atmanirbhar Bharat an opportunity to increase business in India. In January 2021, Kenneth Juster, the US ambassador to India, said Atmanirbhar Bharat and the desire to play a larger economic role in the world may not be compatible. In April 2022, the United States Trade Representative wrote in a report on foreign trade barriers in India: "U.S. exporters continue to encounter significant tariff and non-tariff barriers that impede imports of U.S. goods and services into India. While the Government of India has pursued ongoing economic reform efforts, it also continues to promote programs such as 'Make in India' (2014) and 'Self-Reliant India' (Atmanirbhar Bharat – May 2020) that seek to increase India's self-sufficiency by promoting domestic industry and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and imported goods".
In July 2020, the Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin India stated the company is "committed to supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of self-reliance".