Make In India-the propaganda: Lalit K Kaul

Make in India: Old Wine being marketed assiduously as Panacea to Uninformed Crowd

Lalit K Kaul 

It’s being marketed like it (Make in India) had never happened before in the history of the Indian Sub-continent, yet while discussing it in the foregoing lines the domain is being restricted to the history of Independent “Modern” Indian Nation since 1947.

The Indian Electronic/Print media has been debating/writing about it as if Lord Vishnu had taken a new Avatar to unfetter the hitherto shackled Indian economy and consequently make India “Aatm Nirbhar”. And, the BJP spokesperson including the honourable Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra D Modi, are straining every bit of their respective articulating talent to indoctrinate the “classified uneducated” and “educated uninformed” that a panacea has been invented that’s going to address all that ail(ed)s Indian economy and the people. Let’s travel back into the history of India since 15^th August, 1947.

India of 1947 and the Initiatives of Nehru ji led government:

The singular contribution of British rule in India was that she had been robbed of her native enterprise in that the then existing (native) socio-economic structure with its associated science and technology had been completely annihilated and replaced by their own. The freedom fighters who had, during their struggle against the British Raj, led a movement for boycotting foreign goods and promote ‘Swadeshi” chose to adopt the British model of governance including their science, technology, language, economic model, etcetera. Therefore, the governance had to be centralized as also its economic model for “growth and development” of the “people” of India. The Set that comprised the leaders who had fought for our independence from the front and had opted for Western world-view, Sri M K Gandhi was an out-liar and therefore had to be eliminated.

A centralized economy required building up of capital intensive industries located, as far as possible, in all Indian States that would constitute the manufacturing hubs for products ranging from those as required for infrastructural development to the ones for household consumption including the defense requirements of a nascent Indian Nation.

The ‘educated uninformed’ including the Indian Electronic and Print media as also the over-enthusiastic BJP spokesperson- who claim to be all knowing- should know that in 1947 India (essentially that section of people who had been educated and trained in British system)  had no noticeable manufacturing capability much less technological and engineering capabilities. Therefore, for all the manufacturing hubs- that came into existence as per Five Year Plans- like, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Electronic Corporation of India (ECIL), Bharat Dynamites Limited (BDL), Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML), etcetera; including manufacturing hubs in the Private Sector like, Hindustan Motors Limited (HML), Bajaj Auto Limited, Tata Electric Locomotive Company (TELCO), TISCO, Premier Auto, Kirloskar Brothers, etcetera; all had collaboration agreements with the multinationals in Europe and the US – The General Electric, Alsthom, ABB, Sulzer, etcetera- for transfer of manufacturing technology and engineering design ‘Know How’ and ‘Know Why’ enabling Indian industries to manufacture the products in-house (Make In India). This all enabled manufacturing of power plant equipments for generation of electric power, transportation vehicles like locomotives, trucks, buses, railway compartments, motor cars and scooters, refrigerators and air-conditioners including other household items like pressure cookers, toasters, electric irons etcetera. All Made In India. Thankfully there were no all knowing media persons and spokespersons to blow INC trumpet for what essentially was being done as a part of the extant governments’ responsibility.

In addition to the above, educational institutions like IITs, IIMs, engineering universities and TIFR, BARC for spearheading research in Nuclear field; all to create a workforce that would be qualified and capable to govern “Temples” of “Modern India”. For spearheading Space explorations ISRO was founded and the results of which are for all to see and for its achievements most thunderous and deafening applause is given by the BJP as if the success of ISRO was their initiative!

For Aero-Space research and development the institutions like National Aeronautical Lab (NAL), Bangalore; for defense related research and development DRDO was established including Arjun Tank design and manufacturing capability at AVADI near Chennai, TN. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) units were established in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Koraput, Kanpur, Lucknow and Korwa. Likewise multiple units of BHEL were established, like in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trichurapalli, Bhopal, Jhansi etcetera.  

So, all the above initiatives in the formative years of a nascent Indian Nation laid a very strong foundation for India to be self-sufficient insofar as infrastructure development was concerned. On the agricultural front Green Revolution was put in place and White Revolution was started by Dr. Varghese Kurien in 1970 – all this when Indiraji was the Prime Minister of India. Yet there was no trumpet blowing. But then, it was realized by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira ji, that while India had attained self-sufficiency yet it had stagnated with obsolete technology and therefore the need was felt to drive India to be Self-Reliant. This led to the Government of India bringing out a document “Technology Policy Statement”, January 1983, issued by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. And it was the vision of the then Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi.

{Most of the Media people and the BJP spokesperson including those from other outfits (like Sonia Congress) wouldn’t know the difference between being Self-sufficient and Self-reliant and wouldn’t be aware of this document}

Excerpts from Technology Policy Statement:

“The basic objectives of the Technology Policy will be the development of indigenous technology and efficient absorption and adaptation of imported technology appropriate to national priorities and resources. Its aims are to:

(a)    Attain technological competence and self-reliance to reduce vulnerability, particularly in strategic and critical areas, making the maximum use of indigenous resources;

(b)    Provide the maximum gainful and satisfying employment to all strata of society, with emphasis on the employment of women and weaker sections of the society.

(f)      Identify obsolescence of technology in use and arrange for modernization of both equipment and technology…. (g) to (k)

2.2 Self –Reliance:

In a country of India’s size .., self-reliance is inescapable… We must aim at major technological breakthroughs in the shortest possible time for the development of indigenous technology. ….

3.6 Some Specific Areas:

Low cost housing; provision of drinking water in rural areas, improvement of nutrition, …, eradication of major communicable diseases….; development and use of renewable non-conventional sources of energy…

4.11 In-house R&D:

In-house R&D units in industry provide a desirable and essential interface between efforts within the national laboratories and the educational sector as well as production in industry. Appropriate incentives will be given to the setting up of R&D units in industry …

And the Preamble:

Political freedom must lead to economic independence and alleviation of the burden of poverty. We have regarded science and technology as the basis of economic progress. As a result of three decades of planning, and the Scientific Policy Resolution of 1958, we now have a strong agricultural and industrial base and a scientific manpower ….

Technology must be viewed in the broadest sense, covering the agricultural and the service sectors along with the obvious manufacturing sector… stretches over a wide spectrum ranging from village, small-scale and cottage industries (often based on traditional skills) to medium, heavy and sophisticated industries. Our philosophy of a mixed economy involves the operation of private, public and joint sectors, including those with foreign equity participation……” The interested ones may buy this document or download it from the Google.

The Betrayal:

Such a complete document needed a different level of commitment to make success out of the chosen path for “economic growth and development” of the “people” of India. Sadly though, Smt. Indira Gandhi was assassinated in October 1984.  And the governments thereafter seemed to have shelved it in the name of Globalization and Liberalization of Indian Economy! Or, for the political reasons by the BJP governments and for surrender to China by the Sonia Congress government lasting 2004 to 2014; the surrender was Absolute as it ensured demise of manufacturing sector in India.

What’s this “Make In India” of BJP?

 It essentially relates to defense sector; its aim is to create facilities for in-house manufacturing of defense equipment imported from outside; being extended to manufacturing of e-vehicles and, perhaps, to some other products. So, technology transfer and engineering “Know How” and “Know Why” is being sought from Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that would enable their manufacturing in India. As detailed out in the aforesaid lines, the erstwhile governments of Nehru ji and Indira ji institutionalized the same thing without any fanfare or publicity.

While Modi ji’s “Make In India” will lead to Self-sufficiency it will not lead to Self-reliance (Aatm Nirbhar Bharat). Smt. Indira Gandhi appreciated the difference between Self-sufficiency and Self-reliance and brought out “Technology Policy Statement”, 1983. Self-reliance cannot be attained unless the engineers and technologists in India have the capability to keep updating the bought out designs to save the products from obsolescence. And in absence of this capability repeatedly the OEMs shall have to be approached for technology up-gradation which, in itself, defies the concept of Self-reliance. To overcome this handicap and to ensure Self-reliance over a period of time the “Technology Policy Statement”, 1983 was brought out wherein stress was laid on promoting indigenous research and development efforts by opening research and development centers for a variety of products.

So, if Modi ji is truly aiming at “Aatm Nirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India)” he must endeavour to bring about a National Science and Technology Policy (sure he won’t look at the document brought out by Indira ji’s government) that shall ensure building up of such infrastructures for scientific, engineering and technological research and development efforts that shall empower India to roll out her own technology and design meeting with the defense and other requirements of the day as also modify the existing designs and technology. Else, India shall remain ever dependant on Europe, UK and/or the US for technology up-gradation and that may yield to compromising Indian sovereignty for, the Nation(s) that ha(ve)s technology shall rule the world.