Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 17: Even as India and the United States are holding trade talks and both sides declared the developments “positive,” the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged citizens to buy only made-in-India products and traders to sell indigenously manufactured goods.
Laying the foundation for the country’s first PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) park in Bhainsola in Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh coincided with his 75th birthday, Mr Modi said, “This is the season of festivals, and at this very time, we must remember the mantra of Swadeshi and incorporate it into our lives. I have a humble request to my 140 crore fellow countrymen – Whatever you buy, it should be made in our country. If we live, we must live for the nation, and every moment of our lives must be dedicated to the service of our country,” Mr Modi added.
The remarks came a day after India and U.S. officials held discussions on a bilateral trade agreement. Saying he wanted to build a developed India by 2047, Mr Modi added, “Whatever our businesspersons sell must be made in our country. Now we must make Swadeshi the foundation of a developed India. This will happen when we proudly buy products made in the country. We must first determine whether the product is made in the country. When we do this, our money remains in the country and leads to the development of the country.”
Referring to Operation Sindoor, which began with Indian air strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7, Mr Modi said the Armed Forces “brought Pakistan to its knees in the blink of an eye.” “Just yesterday, the nation and the world saw that a Pakistani terrorist shared his ordeal while crying,” he said, alluding to a viral video of Jaish-e-Mohammad commander Ilyas Kashmiri, who admitted that the family of group chief Masood Azhar was “torn into pieces on May 7.”
“Terrorists from Pakistan had destroyed the sindoor [vermillion] on our sisters. We have destroyed terrorist hideouts through Operation Sindoor. This is new India, it is not scared of anyone’s nuclear threats. It enters [the enemy’s] house and strikes,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also recalled another memorable feat of the Indian army when the forces liberated Hyderabad decades ago. “On this very day, the nation witnessed the steel-like willpower of Sardar Patel. It was the day when the Indian Army freed Hyderabad from countless atrocities, protected the rights of its people, and restored the pride of India.
“For decades, such a great achievement and the extraordinary courage of our soldiers went largely unremembered. But you have given me the opportunity to honour it. Our government has made sure that the events of 17th September, tied to Sardar Patel and Hyderabad, are immortalised,” Modi said. The Hyderabad Liberation Day “inspires us with the reminder that nothing is greater than the honour and glory of Mother India,” PM Modi said.
He also noted that the new GST rates would come into effect from September 22, coinciding with the first day of Navratri. “We need to launch a campaign promoting Swadeshi. I will urge the state government to put up signs in every shop detailing Swadeshi goods. Buyers will also know that they are buying Swadeshi,” he added.
Mr Modi launched the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan (SNSPA), a Union Government initiative aimed at improving women’s health through comprehensive screenings and services. “Its goal is to ensure that no woman falls victim to any disease due to lack of information. There are diseases that women are most vulnerable to. It’s crucial to detect these diseases early. Serious diseases like cancer can be detected early. The women of our country continue to bless me. Therefore, these programs are for them,” he said, urging women to avail free check-up and medication services. The campaign runs until Gandhi Jayanti on October 2.
The PM MITRA park in Dhar is one of seven such establishments approved by the Union Ministry of Textiles. The other sites are Tamil Nadu’s Virudhnagar, Telangana’s Warangal, Gujarat’s Navasari, Karnataka’s Kalaburagi, Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, and Maharashtra’s Amravati.
Based on the 5F theme – Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign – the initiative aims to boost India’s textile manufacturing and exports. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav recently said proposals worth more than ₹23,000 crore have been received from 114 textile companies for the Dhar park.
