India is a developing country. With a population of over 138 crores, the country is the largest democracy in the world and the fastest-growing economy. But due to the current difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, the whole supply chain in the country has been disturbed, with many businesses affected and the loss of jobs on a large scale. In one of his recent addresses to the nation on the pandemic, PM Narendra Modi stressed the importance of “Atmanirbhar Bano” or ‘self-reliant’ India.
Now the question is, How Can India Become “Self-Reliant”?
To make a country self-reliant, we must start on an individual level. Every individual will have to overcome many challenges and for this, the government & organizations need to support people on every step. Becoming self-reliant is not something that can happen overnight, but it is a gradual process.
With the help of government and other organizations, we can achieve self-reliance on a micro as well as macro level. Below are some areas where individuals need to work on to become self-reliant:
1. Education:
Education should be the backbone of self-reliance. If an individual is educated, he or she can use their knowledge to work in the field of their choice. The overall literacy rate in India is around 74%. The government should step up and help in improving this literacy rate. Proper infrastructure is also required for educational purposes, not only in cities but also in remote areas and villages.
2. Skill Development & Learning Centres:
Individuals with skills are the building blocks of any country. A skilled individual can contribute better to the GDP of the country, than an unskilled one. Many self-dependent courses like Computers, Graphic Designing, Stitching, Interior Designing, Organic Farming, Share Market, etc. should be promoted. The government should set up skill development and learning centers at various points in the cities as well as in the villages.
3. Discipline:
To be self-reliant, you also need to have some discipline. This may be keeping strict goals for yourself and your community, maintaining a “to-do” list, and following the same or performing a particular task on time. As an individual, to effectively contribute to the GDP of the country, you can pay bills, taxes, and other monetary dues in time.
4. Innovation:
The world runs with new ideas. A thinking and innovative mindset need to be developed on an individual level. Everyone must think about what he or she can offer to society, to the country. For example, recently Ant Studio in Delhi made a working Air Conditioner out of mud, which is environmentally friendly.
To motivate such ideas, organizations and the government can arrange certain competitions. This will help to bring out the best ideas from every individual and help in taking the steps towards self-reliance.
5. Entrepreneurship:
Skilled individuals can think to set up startups and ventures with minimum risk. Startups are the best example of self-reliance in today’s times. There are around 60,000 startups in India to date. Government and banks can provide support for granting loans, transparency, and quick documentation. One such example is Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana which grants financial aid to micro-entrepreneurs and startups.
6. Last Mile Support to Communities:
In India, there are still many villages and remote places which do not have even the basic amenities, let alone education. Such communities are being looked after by NGOs providing them with the tools necessary to sustain life and making self-reliant. The government should also investigate the matter and provide free education, interest-free loans, employment to these people.
7. Challenge The Competition:
Since India is a densely populated country, there is heavy competition in almost every field. Everyone is seeking the best opportunity in education, job, competitive exams, etc. and this puts pressure on every individual in the country. But competition also makes you work hard with dedication and quality. Without competition, there would not have been any motive to struggle for your goals. So, one must overcome competition by accepting it rather to run away from failure.
On the macro level also, there are a lot of areas where the Government can help and as a country, together we can propel ourselves to become self-reliant. Below are those few areas:
1. Research & Development:
India could not keep up with the first and second Industrial Revolutions from the 19th and early 20th Centuries. It also missed the third one, which was a technology-based Industrial Revolution because economic policies were not in-line with technological investment. India still has an opportunity to actively participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and prove to the world its worth.
The government should focus on providing the necessary funding and infrastructure for research in Universities and Educational Institutions. More R&D should be carried out in major sectors like defence, automobiles, agriculture, healthcare, space, etc. The R&D operations should be carried out at a faster rate to be on-par with other countries.
2. Promoting Entrepreneurship:
More streamlined processes, schemes, and incentives should be provided by the government for ease of doing business for Indian citizens. It may be in organic farming, fishing, agriculture, digital technology, or in any entrepreneurial domain.
3. Promoting ‘Made in India’ instead of ‘Make in India’:
Won’t it be great if we can make our products of world-class quality and export globally? This is the idea behind ‘Made in India’. Promote local businesses and production facilities to create quality products that reach high standards. This will not only increase India’s reputation on a global level but also increase the economic situation of the country by improving trade.
4. Promoting Futuristic Technologies and Innovation:
The technologies that we feel “futuristic” in India have already been successfully implemented in many countries. These include solar energy, 5G, use of A.I., Space Science, and many more. India needs to ramp up its research and thinking mindset towards these advanced technologies and bring about an innovation that will stun the world.
5. Investment on Education:
Though the Indian schooling system is good, many individuals are seeking higher education after college. But they find it difficult to do so in India as it lacks that level of infrastructure and funding for education. Hence many individuals migrate abroad for better educational opportunities. This is an area of improvement for India.
How can Digital Media help India to become self-reliant?
Another factor to consider in becoming self-reliant is the use of Digital Media. Modi Government’s “Digital India” campaign has helped the country to a great extent since 2014 and we could see its results especially during the current difficult times. Below are the factors to consider how Digital Media will help (and has already helped) India to become self-reliant:
1. Online Monetary Transactions:
Nowadays, all the transactions are being carried out online in very little time. The need to physically visiting the bank or government offices has been almost eliminated. With a click of a button, you can transfer or receive money from anyone and anywhere in the world. Many FinTech startups in India like Paytm, PhonePe, Mobikwik, etc. have helped us a lot for quick payments and should reach every corner of the country in the coming years.
2. E-learning:
In a country like India, e-learning was limited to online platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, LinkedIn Learning for professionals. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schooling and college education has also been started online, which is a rare thing for a country where traditional classroom teaching was at the forefront.
EdTech startups like BYJU’s, UnAcademy, Khan Academy, Gradeup, etc. have laid out an excellent learning platform and infrastructure to help individuals in learning new skills.
3. Agri Tech:
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in India that has employed more than 50% of the workforce. To make farmers self-reliant, the Indian government has come up with many schemes that provide agricultural incentives to the farmers.
Agri Tech companies like Fasal, LeanAgri, Aries Agro, etc. impart the correct knowledge to farmers like plantation of seeds, use of correct fertilizer for crops, weather reports on when to plant a particular crop, etc. We need to push technology-enabled Agri-economy in order to give more strength to the agriculture sector.
4. Avail government services online:
In India, a few years back, if your work involved government intervention, one had to visit these offices, wait for the people to show up, submit a lot of documents and again wait for a long time. Due to Digital Media, all the government processes have been streamlined. One of the best examples of this is the ‘Umang’ app, which conveniently provides e-governance facilities. Recently in difficult times, many people withdrew their PF balance through the Indian Government’s online PF Portal. So, continuously, we are pushing our boundaries to achieve excellence via digital media.
5. E-shopping:
Gone are the days where we needed to be dependent on local shopkeepers or nearby stores for an item. With just a click of a button, you can order anything online. Although these processes are halted due to the current pandemic situation, they are slowly resuming all over India.
Thus, Digital Media makes it possible for everyone to run the show globally. In the current difficult times, it is also helping many startups to open shops without investing much on physical infrastructure. It has also made ‘Work from Home’ option feasible and in a way, made everyone self-reliant.
Conclusion – The Road Ahead
To become self-reliant in a true sense, India must look at a multi-development model in all the areas.
First, ‘Made in India’ should be the primary goal than ‘Make in India’. India should create its products of world-class quality that will thrive in the market for a longer time.
The Second area to focus on is ‘Domestic Production’. If we are to reduce dependency on other countries, India must have a strong infrastructure not only in the economy but also in robust production facilities.
The Third area is ‘Skill Development’. Every Indian citizen should learn some valuable skills.
The Fourth area is to help local businesses, buy Indian goods, and support ‘Vocal for Local’ cause. The domestic supply chain will see an increasing graph, and this will help to revive the economy.
And lastly, India must ‘Invest In Newer Technologies’ like VR, AR, A.I, Robotics, Solar Energy, etc. that will not only help to solve daily life problems in health, education, food, manufacturing industries but also improve India’s position globally.
Together, based on the foundation of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, we can bring a positive change in our country that will boost the economy and self-esteem of the country.
