Prime Minister Narendra Modi invites business leaders from India and abroad to invest in India and focuses on effective governance and physical infrastructure creation
Amidst a galaxy of industrialists and business leaders from all over the world, ‘Make in India’, the ambitious campaign to make India a global manufacturing hub was launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in a glittering function in Delhi on September 25.
It was a clarion call to invest in India, not just to the big names in the domestic sector but also to the international business community. The message was loud and clear from the man who is often regarded as the epitome of growth and development in India. “This government is dedicated to growth. This is not a political agenda but an article of faith”, he asserted. He also went on to announce that this government’s focus will be on physical infrastructure creation as well as creation of a digital network for making India a hub for global manufacturing of goods ranging from cars to software, satellites to submarines and from paper to power. Kicking off the “Make in India” campaign, PM Modi promised effective and easy governance to help achieve high growth and creation of jobs in India.
To firmly position India on a growth path, PM Modi coined a different name for the most-talked about phenomenon in the business world, FDI (Foreign Direct Investment). He said, “People are talking about FDI, but, I see things differently. For the world, FDI is an opportunity. But, FDI is also a responsibility for the people of India. FDI should also stand for ‘First Develop India’”. “The world is ready to come to Asia and India offers the best destination as it has a positive and perfect blend of vibrant democracy, demography division and huge demand,” he added.
To make the whole campaign successful, it was simultaneously launched in different state capitals of India including Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. The campaign was also telecast live in Indian embassies in countries in similar time zone as that of India.
The well-attended gathering of global investors and top business leaders included the names of Tata Group CEO Cyrus Mistry, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Wipro Limited Chairman Azim Premji, Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar, ITC Chairman YC Deveshwar and CEO of Lockheed Martin India Phil Shaw among many other dignitaries and global business leaders. As CEO of Lockheed Martin India Phil Shaw rightly summed it up, “We believe India is an epicentre of innovation”. According to officials, several top global companies from countries including the US, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Poland, Australia, China, Italy, Germany and France were also likely to attend the function.
Just a day before the launch, the Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) had invited the newly appointed Indian ambassador to Norway, H.E. Ambassador Air Chief Marshall (Retd) NAK Browne to a high-level discussion on the New Initiatives on Economic Policy in India here in Oslo. The launch of ‘Make in India’ campaign was one of the principal talking points in a gathering of companies and representatives from India and Norway.
Written by: Sudipa Chakraborty
Read about the extended board meeting with Ambassador Browne here