Aatmanirbhar Bharat- Mission towards Self-reliant Nation

-- Safa Rumani, IX-C, Indian Central School

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

The term “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” means a self- reliant or self- sufficient India, as defined by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. However, this term encompasses much more than this. First and foremost, it means a country where people themselves are self- reliant. This would include being able to find proper employment and being able to fulfil their basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, sanitation and so on. When these needs are taken care of, people can go on to help their nation to become a self- reliant one.

For India to be completely self – sufficient, it needs to weaken its economic dependence on imports, regulate population growth, provide effective employment for the people, apply rational use of natural resources and many more factors. Since independence, India has taken great steps in this direction.

India has always been known as a land of great potential. With the government’s push in recent years towards an “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”, the manufacturing sector of our country has received even more importance and focus. This sector is a significant contributor to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and accounts for around 17% of it in the year 2022. One example is the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme which was introduced by our government in 2021 aiming to build an environment suitable for manufacturing high solar energy modules in India, and thus reduce dependence on imports in the field of renewable energy. Another example is the Make In India scheme, intended to boost the manufacturing sector’s growth rate at 12-14% per annum.

Our country has introduced multiple programmes and schemes to boost this mission, the most significant one being the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. This campaign aims to make the country and its citizens independent in all senses. The reforms brought in the economy by this scheme is making India one of the strongest economies in the world.

The Prime Minister outlined five pillars of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, which are Economy, Infrastructure, system, vibrant demography and demand.

Another example of this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our country dealt with the situation with a strong spirit of self- reliance. The exemplary role played by India in this global fight has been appreciated widely. In fact, Bharat Biotech, developed a vaccine called “Covaxin” which greatly supplemented the fight against the virus.

Another fruitful scheme established was Aatmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana, which was launched to create new job opportunities during the COVID-19 recovery phase. This scheme has benefited up to 1,52,499 people in our nation as of December 2023.

To conclude, I would like to say that our individual development indicates the development of our nation, so we should try our best to be self- reliant ourselves. It is our duty as citizens of India to bring all these schemes to action. Our growth directly affects our Country’s GDP. We need to make the best use of the opportunities provided for us by the government and contribute towards a true Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Happy 75th Republic Day!

Safa Rumani, IX-C, Indian Central School