Aatmanirbhar Bharat is about transforming India into a manufacturing hub: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that 1.3 billion Indians have embarked on one mission to make an Aatmanirbhar Bharat which merges the local with the global. He said Aatmanirbhar Bharat is about transforming India from being just a passive market to an active manufacturing hub at the heart of global value chains. 

Delivering a keynote address at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum last evening, Mr Modi said, India has shown time and again that its goal is global good.

The Prime Minister said the current COVID-19 situation demands a fresh mindset where approach to development is human centric. He said the pandemic has shown the world that decision on developing global supply chains should be based not only on costs but also on trust. He added that along with affordability of geography, companies are now also looking for reliability and policy stability. He stressed that India is the location which has all these qualities.

The Prime Minister said India offers diverse opportunities. These opportunities are in the public as well as private sector. They cover core economic sectors as well as social sectors. Recent sectors that have opened include Coal, Mining, Railways, Defence, Space and Atomic Energy.

The Prime Minister pointed out that India offers a transparent and predictable tax regime. He said,India's GST is unified and there is a fully IT enabled indirect tax



system.

The Prime Minister stated that the country's reform trajectory continues and in the recent months, there have been far reaching reforms which are making business easier and red tapism lesser. Work is actively underway on the world's largest housing programme. Renewable energy infrastructure is being expanded. Rail, road and air connectivity is being boosted. 

Mr Modi said, the country is creating a unique digital model to build a national digital health mission. He said the best of fin tech is being used to provide banking, credit, digital payments and insurance to millions.

The Prime Minister said, there is a need to focus on ramping capacities, securing the poor, future proofing citizens. He stressed that this is the path India is taking.

Mr Modi highlighted that 800 million Indians are being provided support during the time of the pandemic. He said the government was clear on the subject that the poor have to be protected. The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana is among the largest support systems seen anywhere globally. He said free food grain is being provided to 800 million people.

The Prime Minister said India was among the first countries to advocate the use of masks and face coverings as a public health measure. India was also among the earliest to create public awareness campaigns about social distancing.