AATMANIRBHAR BHARAT

O:00785 06-DEC-2022 B:2022-23/318 04-DEC-2022

India
Economic Problems
Economic Policy
COVID 19 Disease

Neither development without self-pride nor self-pride without development are desirable. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India on 12 May 2020 goes beyond mere economic self-reliance. The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth India’s unhealthy and unsustainable dependencies on imports, be it of goods, armaments, technology or even ideas. India, thus, needs a course correction, which the Aatmanirbhar model provides. The Aatmanirbhar programme does not imply the return of disastrous import substitution policies of the fifties and the sixties. The Aatmanirbhar programme goes beyond indigenization, and aims to make India self-reliant in political, economic, military, social, and cultural aspects while rediscovering and developing India’s inherent strengths. The idea is not to go alone, but rebalance being strategically dependent and strategically interdependent.



The editors are encouraged by the Prime Minister’s message to this publication. In his words, “India’s inner strength, intent and energy is powering the nation’s resolute efforts towards building a prosperous and Aatmanirbhar Bharat.” Aatmanirbhar Bharat’s vision is global peace, prosperity and welfare of all.



Through this book, India’s leading thinkers and policy stalwarts (including two Padma Shri awardees), dive deep into conceptualizing and outlining the way forward for this arduous, yet ardent vision of Aatmanirbharta. A broad spectrum of the policy space ranging from civilizational and historical discourses to economy, foreign policy, technology, military, rural sector, education, skills development, women, and climate change is covered in the book making it an inspiring read for the decision makers, intelligentsia and the public at large

Contents
S. Gurumurthy

Swaminathan Gurumurthy became the guide the philosopher of Ramnath Goenka and the Indian Express newspaper group when he was 27 and Goenka 72! The paper's famour campaign against government and corporate corruption in late 1980s unfolded the investigative journalist hidden in Gurumurthy. The Rajiv Gandhi government arrested Gurumurthy to silence him. the fallout was an all out was between the paper and the Government with Gurumurthy leading the Express team. the result: Rajiv's defeat in the 1989 elections. More of Gurumurthy unfolded later. His original thinking on economic issues, his influence in corporate India, and his association with the RSS oarivar added to his powerful personality. he was rated among 50 most powerful persons in India in 1990; as the 8th most powerful; as the 17th most powerful. But far from using his power for personal gain, he made himslef unavailable for any position. He preferred basic work like his ongoing, original study on the community linkages to India's economic model. A keen student of law, finance and accounts, politics and economics, philosophy and religion, Gurumurthy is a rare confluence of the tradition and the modern.