Make in India: Reclaiming some past glory

The moment we look at our hands, we realise that - the “Force” is in our hands. When our Hon Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi took oath and assumed office in May last year his vision was to see India as a self-sustaining nation.A republic that could not only take care of the needs of its own billion plus populace but could also extend its resources and yields to other economies. He puts us on a vivid dream to reinstate India's past glory.In the Golden Age of India, between 4th and 6th century AD, Indians made great progress in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, science, religion and philosophy. During the 10th and 11th century AD, the sub-continent saw extensive achievements in architecture, sculpture and maritime conquests consisting of extensive trade, and governance reforms.In the context of Modern India, all the above summarises as 'Make in India'.If every product that touches or affects the lives of our people can be designed, sourced or manufactured in the country, we don't need to 'reinvent the wheel' in the process - all we need to do is to have an open channel for Strategic Transfer of Technology, create enough positivity to 'Ease' New Business, and realise the potential areas of Indigenous Conceptions.Transfer of TechnologyIndia will benefit if it can ensure incorporation of science in every aspect of service to this nation. Technologies have progressed in leaps and bounds and where we got left behind in the 21st century was in “speckled” utilisation. The contrast is stark, from the ultra-modern City Metro rail systems to some of the colonial technologies being used in the Railways.Ease of doing BusinessIndia was never a closed nation. From time immemorial, we have welcomed businesses from foreign shores to set up shop in our land. What we lacked is the enthusiasm to draw more large-scale investments in exchange of protecting the nation's interest.All that is needed is a balanced combination of a legal framework along with the publicity finesse to promote India as the land of opportunities - which seems like the flavour of the season now.Indigenous ManufacturingFrom electronics to foodgrains, from clothes to power plants, from transport to knowledge - India has great skills which, if utilised and streamlined, will bump up our GDP by a couple of percentage points in a decade's time.Every state in the country comes with its intrinsic power to add to India's growth story and since the economic potential of every region and every state lies in different areas (agriculture, manufacturing, mineral resources and knowledge production), it is imperative we do not fall in the trap of homogenous charters for manufacturing. We have proven our capacity to feed ourselves and all we need now is to identify the key areas where we can expand this offering.Swati Samaddar is in charge of corporate affairs, strategic relationship, for South Asia at Intel Technology India Ltd and develops the organisation's government engagement strategy.

The above article was published in India Inc's print edition of the India Investment Journal launched in June 2015 in conjunction with the Policy India Roundtable 2015.