From Gifts To Attire To Decor, PM Exhorts India To Go Swadeshi In Festivals

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: Echoing his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday used his 'Mann Ki Baat' radio broadcast to urge Indians to embrace 'swadeshi' or locally-made products during the upcoming season of festivals-from gifts and clothes to decoration items-linking the call to his vision of making India a developed nation by 2047.

“You should never forget about swadeshi,” Modi said speaking about popular festivals such as Ganesh Utsav, a ten-day celebration of the Hindu god that is marked with elaborate decorations, food and festivities.“Gifts should be those made in India, attire should be that woven in India, decor should be that made from materials made in India, luminary items from India-made frills, and many more; everything in every need of life should be swadeshi."

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Modi's exhortation comes amid heightened global economic tensions, with US President Donald Trump's punishing tariffs on Indian goods threatening to upend the economy. The call also comes amid India's negotiations with the US for a bilateral trade agreement.

"Say with pride 'this is swadeshi', say with pride 'this is swadeshi', say with pride 'this is swadeshi'. We have to move forward with this feeling. One mantra: 'Vocal for Local'; one path - 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'; one goal - 'Developed India',” he was quoted as saying according to a statement by the prime minister's office.

Batting for Swadeshi

In his Independence Day address from Delhi's Red Fort on 15 August, Modi had marshalled the 'swadeshi' theme, signalling resilience in the face of global economic fragmentation, wherein several economies had chosen the path of protectionism that was hampering global trade.

The call for 'swadeshi' echoes Mahatma Gandhi's movement against the British Raj, wherein he had called for total rejection of foreign-made goods, embracing local production as a path to self-reliance and national strength.
In his radio address, Modi also hailed sports competitions being held in Jammu and Kashmir as a show of resilience even as the region combated natural disasters and also in the wake of Operation Sindoor, India's retaliation against the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April that had led to the most heightened conflict between India and Pakistan in decades.

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Modi said two sporting events in Jammu and Kashmir-the Royal Premier League for regional cricket teams and the Khelo India Water Sports Festival held in Srinagar's Dal Lake--had shown the resilience of the region in the wake of the recent devastating floods.
Despite these events, the first day-night cricket match was played in Pulwama in front of a record audience, while over 800 athletes participated in the water sports festival, Modi said. Pulwama had witnessed one the worst attacks on Indian security forces in 2019.

Thrust on renewables

Modi also spoke about India's thrust on renewable energy to meet its 2070 net-zero carbon emissions commitment. He called for a higher adoption of solar energy, also detailing the increased usage of the renewable energy source in mills and pumps across the country that has been beneficial for agriculture.
On employment for youth, the prime minister spoke of a new portal 'Pratibha Setu', which has the data of candidates who cleared various levels and exams of the Union Public Service Commission, but their names did not make it to the final merit list.“There is a databank of over 10,000 such bright youngsters on this portal,” Modi said, adding that private companies could use this portal to identify talent.

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“Hundreds of candidates have got jobs immediately with the help of this portal and those youth who had got stuck by a small margin are now moving ahead with new confidence,” he said.

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