Agenda for Atmanirbhar Bharat

Abstract ‘Make for the World’ was an appeal by the Prime Minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his 74th Independence Day speech. In response to the negative impact of the coronavirus on the healthcare of citizens and the economic impact on the Indian economy, the Government, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, gave a clarion call for an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, i.e. a ‘self- reliant’ India. Atmanirbhar Bharat or a self- reliant India is an endeavour towards making the country into an economic powerhouse that is self- generating and self- sustaining. The vision entails making India into a competitive, self- sufficient, resilient, and competitive nation embedded in the World economy as a nation actively engaging with the rest of the World in terms of trade, a manufacturing hub, and a knowledge exchange nation. Self- reliance means strengthening the country’s competitive power in the long run, unlike the import substitution of the seventies. A self- reliant India would be an India that is built on the pillar of ease of doing business (EODB) and better infrastructure facilities available for industrialists to invest in manufacturing. This would help generate jobs and employment, taking advantage of the demographic dividend and leading to more income in the hands of individuals resulting in higher demand for products and services. The chapter discusses various short and long-term measures and structural reforms which could help India move on the path of being an “Atmanirbhar Bharat” or self-reliant nation.