Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday lauded the Union government’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, saying that India has become a manufacturing powerhouse and it is because of the youth power of the country that the “whole world is looking up to us.”

Talking about the ‘Make in India’ campaign during the 114th episode of his monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast over All India Radio, PM Modi said, “This month marks the culmination of 10 years of another important campaign.”

“The success of this campaign includes the contribution of the country’s big industries as well as small shopkeepers. I am talking about ‘Make in India’. Today, it gives me immense joy to see that the poor, the middle class and MSMEs are getting a lot of benefit from this campaign.”

He said this campaign has provided an opportunity to people of every class to showcase their talent.

“Today, India has become a manufacturing powerhouse and it is because of the youth power of the country that the whole world is looking up to us. Be it automobiles, textiles, aviation, electronics or defence…Every sector in the country’s exports are constantly on the rise,” the Prime Minister said.

He said the continual rise of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country is narrating the success saga of ‘Make in India’.

“Now we are mainly focussing on two things… The first is ‘Quality’, that is, goods made in our country should be of global standards…and the other is ‘Vocal for Local. That means, local products should get maximum promotion,” the Prime Minister said.

“In ‘Mann Ki Baat’ we’ve also discussed #MyProductMyPride’. How the people of the country can benefit from promoting local products can be understood through an example. In Bhandara district of Maharashtra, there is an old textile tradition of, ‘Bhandara Tussar Silk Handloom’. Tussar Silk, is known for its colour, design and strength. In some areas of Bhandara, more than 50 ‘Self Help Groups are working to preserve it. Women have a huge participation in that. This silk is fast becoming popular and empowering local communities… and that is the spirit of ‘Make in India’,” PM Modi said.

Modi also urged people to buy ‘Made in India’ products during the coming festive season.

“In this festive season you can once again reiterate your old resolves. Anything you buy, should necessarily be ‘Made in India’… Anything you gift that too should be Made In India. Merely buying earthen lamps is not ‘Vocal for Local’. You should promote local products made in your area more and more. Any such product, that has been made with the sweat of an Indian artisan, that is made on Indian soil, is our pride – we always have to lend glory to this pride,” he said.

As ‘Mann ki Baat’ will be completing 10 years on October 3, the Prime Minister, during the address, said
the listeners of the programme are the real anchors of this show.

“This episode today is going to make me emotional. It’s flooding me with a lot of old memories…The reason is that this journey of ours in Mann Ki Baat is completing 10 years. 10 years ago Mann Ki Baat started on the day of Vijayadashami on the 3rd of October. And what a divine coincidence it is that this year on the 3rd of October when 10 years of Mann Ki Baat are completed, it will be the first day of Navratri. There are many phases in this long journey of Mann Ki Baat that I can never forget. Crores of listeners of Mann Ki Baat have been our companions in this journey, whose continuous support I have kept receiving. They provided information from every corner of the country,” Modi said.

“The listeners of Mann Ki Baat are the real anchors of this show. A commonly held belief has become so ingrained that as long as there are no spicy or negative conversations, it does not receive much attention. But Mann Ki Baat has proved that how hungry the people of the country are, for positive information. People like positive stories, inspiring examples, encouraging stories very much,” the Prime Minister said.

During the address, PM Modi also mentioned the Swachh Bharat Mission.

“Just a few days later, on the 2nd of October, the Swachh Bharat Mission is completing 10 years. This is an occasion to commend those who turned it into such a big mass movement in Indian history. It is also a befitting tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, who dedicated his entire life to this cause,” he said.

“Today it is the success of the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ that the ‘Waste to Wealth’ mantra is becoming popular among people. People have started talking about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, citing their examples as well,” the Prime Minister said.

“We have to connect as many people as possible with the ongoing campaign for cleanliness. And this is not a campaign for one day or one year; it is a task to be undertaken continuously for ages. This is work to be done until ‘cleanliness’ becomes our nature. I request all of you to take part in the cleanliness campaign along with your family, friends, neighbours or colleagues. I once again congratulate all of you on the success of the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’,” PM Modi further said.