Atmanirbhar Bharat aims to create better enabled India: S Jaishankar to IIMB students

Explaining the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Jaishankar explained that it aims to create a better enabled India which is better fed, healthy and self-reliant.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conducted a session for the students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore on Atmanirbhar Bharat on June 10. The minister talked about socio-economic changes taking place in India and said that by the time they will move forward to begin their careers, India they will step into will be fundamentally different from how the country was when their studies began.

Atmanirbhar Bharat aims to create better enabled India

Explaining the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Jaishankar explained that it aims to create a better enabled India which is better fed, healthy and self-reliant. He further said that the concept of Atmanirbhar Bharat does not mean a protectionist India. "..It is: make with, and make for, the world. India is not trying to get more strength by building walls, but by engaging with the global community,” he said.

There are sustainable goals aligned with the government schemes, said the minister adding that physical infrastructure, urbanization, smart cities, digital policies, innovation push, etc. are required for attaining these goals. To make Atmanirbhar Bharat a success, the minister further stressed the need to increase the number of premium higher education institutions, raise tertiary education and build vocational skills in the country.

COVID-19 vaccines, achieving 2 billion shots, CoWIN platform are examples of more self-reliant India

Citing examples of a more self-reliant India, Jaishankar talked about making of COVID-19 vaccines, achieving 2 billion shots, and the CoWIN platform as examples of a more self-reliant India. “If we apply the same mindset to our perennial challenges, we can come up with sustainable solutions for them. The COVID experience taught us that in times of stress not being Atmanirbhar can become a national security vulnerability issue. India, like large parts of the world post COVID, is moving to a ‘just-in-case’ scenario and building capacity to be self-reliant. India is working to enhance its domestic supply chain networks. Atmanirbhar Bharat is an economic outlook – it is national self-confidence. We need to utilize and leverage our connect with the world to build our indigenous capacities. We need to facilitate ease of doing business, and be a manufacturing economy, along with being a service economy,” he said.

The address was then followed by a Q&A session moderated by Professor Sourav Mukherji, Dean of Alumni Relations & Development and faculty in the OB&HRM area. During the session, the minister answered questions about India's foreign policy, his thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine situation, border tensions with China, the growing power of Regional Pacts, and his own career path from diplomat to politician.

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