PM Modi urges people to make resolution to substitute foreign products with made in India items

Sputnik news agency and radio 12:35 GMT 27.12.2020

In May 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the initiative “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) to empower local businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To gain support for this mission, he started the “Vocal For Local” campaign and urged people to choose Made In India products.

As 2020 nears its end, Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Sunday via his monthly radio programme “Mann Ki Baat”, which was the last show of the year.

In his speech, Modi hailed the "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" initiative and urged people to make a resolution for the country in the new year to substitute the foreign-made products they use with Made In India items in order to promote the "Vocal for Local" campaign.

Making an appeal to the people of India, Modi asked them to prepare a list of items they use and identify those which were manufactured abroad.

“Let us find out their substitutes made in India and decide that henceforth we shall use products made with the hard work and sweat of the people of India. You make New Year resolutions every year. This time one has to certainly make a resolution for the country", he said.

As "Vocal for Local" reverberates in every household of India, Modi called for manufacturers to adopt a "zero effect, zero defect" policy to ensure that world-class products are made in India.

While the "zero effect" would ensure that there are no adverse environmental and ecological impacts, "zero defect" production would keep a check on the product’s quality and damage factors.

"This is the right time to work with the ethos of 'zero effect, zero defect' policy. It is time to ensure that our products meet global standards. Whatever is the global best, we should make it in India and prove it. For that, our entrepreneur friends have to come forward. Start-ups too have to come forth", he said.

Giving a boost to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, he pointed out that many shopkeepers have made a conscious decision to sell products like toys that are made in India and customers are also opting for the same.

“Delhi's Jhandewalan market is famous for toys. Earlier it has foreign brands but now sellers are selling India-made toys with great pride. Indeed, this is a big transformation in mindset. A huge change has begun in the minds of our countrymen, that too within a year", he said.