PM Modi urges Indian manufacturers to focus on meeting global standards, promote local products

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged Indian manufacturers to focus on meeting global quality standards and promoting local products under the 'Vocal for Local' initiative.

Speaking on 'Mann Ki Baat,' a monthly radio programme the prime minister uses to reach out to the citizens, Modi credited his government's 'Make in India' campaign for transforming India into a global manufacturing powerhouse.

"The success of this campaign (Make in India) includes the contribution of the country's big industries as well as small shopkeepers," he said.

"Today, India has become a manufacturing powerhouse, and it is because of the youth power of the country that the whole world is looking up to us. Be it automobiles, textiles, aviation, electronics or defence…every sector in the country's exports is constantly on the rise," he added.

Make in India aims

Launched in September 2014, the Make in India initiative aims to foster domestic production by encouraging companies to develop, manufacture, and assemble products within the country.

The initiative seeks to attract targeted investments in the manufacturing sector as part of a broader effort to boost economic growth and create jobs.

Some of the critical targets of the Make in India initiative included increasing the manufacturing sector's growth rate to 12-14% per annum, creating 100 million additional manufacturing jobs in the economy by 2022, and ensuring the manufacturing sector's contribution to the country's GDP is increased to 25% by 2025.

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"The continual rise of FDI in the country is narrating the success saga of Make In India," he said.

"Now we are mainly focussing on two things… The first is 'Quality’, that is, goods made in our country should be of global standards… and the other is 'Vocal for Local. That means local products should get maximum promotion," he added.

Water conservation

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also emphasised the importance of water conservation during his 30-minute-long address.

"This rainy season reminds us how important 'water conservation' is…how important it is to save water," he said.

"Water saved during rainy days helps a lot during water scarcity months, and that's the spirit of campaigns like 'Catch The Rain'. I am happy that many people are taking new initiatives to conserve water," he added.

Interestingly, some parts of India received deficit rainfall during fiscal 2023-24 (FY24). This led to lower crop production, especially for food grains, pulses, rice, and oilseed, leading to higher food inflation.

Also read | From deficient to deluge: Delhi receives 15% above-normal rainfall since 1 June

Some states also witnessed drought-like conditions due to deficit rainfall last year, with a drop in reservoir water levels affecting irrigation.

However, rainfall during the ongoing fiscal has been better than last.

"Here in Raipura Village of Dindori, the construction of a large pond has raised the groundwater level considerably. The women of this village benefited from this. Here, the women associated with 'Sharada Aajeevika Self Help Group' have also entered into a new occupation of fish farming," he said.

"Due to the hard work of these women, not only has the pond been filled with water, but the crop yield has also increased substantially. Such efforts of water conservation being done in every nook and corner of the country will prove very helpful in dealing with the water crisis," he added.

Mission cleanliness

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest 'Mann Ki Baat' address comes ahead of the government's 10th anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, set to be observed on 2 October.

Modi hailed the milestone as a “true tribute” to Mahatma Gandhi, whose birth anniversary is celebrated on the day.

"Today it is the success of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' that the Waste to Wealth' mantra is becoming popular among people. People have started talking about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, citing their examples as well," he said.

"And this is not a campaign for one day or one year; it is a task to be undertaken continuously for ages. This is work to be done until 'cleanliness' becomes our nature," he added.