“Mutual cooperation among self-reliant countries while considering the world as one family and not one market, seems to be the economic model required for the post-COVID world,” RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat said while speaking at a virtual book launch event.
“We will take everything which is good for us from around the world. ‘Aano bhadra krtavo yantu vishwatah’ (Vedic mantra meaning, Let noble thoughts come to me from all directions). But what we take from outside should be according to our needs,” he said.
Elaborating on the concept of Swadeshi, Shri Mohan Bhagwat said that only those technologies or materials may be imported which the country lacks traditionally or are not available locally.
Talking about the relevance of being self-reliant and Swadeshi in the wake of COVID-19, he suggested that the pandemic has made it clear that globalisation did not yield desired results and one economic model cannot be applicable everywhere.
Backing the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the RSS Sarsanghchalak said swadeshi means to promote and give preference to indigenous products or technologies and not necessarily boycott all foreign items. For Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliance), Atmabhan (Self-realisation), Atma Vishwas (Self-Confidence) are essential, he added.
Citing a few examples when traditionally available products and technologies were overlooked for imported ones, Shri Mohan Bhagwat emphasised on the need for change in mindset and not considering domestic items as inferior.
Shri Mohan Bhagwat described the National Education Policy as a “step in the right direction” to make India self-reliant, and said that such policies would help India realise the potential of its people and of traditional wisdom. He also said that India’s current economic policy focuses on prosperity, he said: “After independence, we did not implement our economic policy in order to prevent ourselves from suffering losses due to influence from the West and other foreign countries. Following this, many locally available products and technologies were overlooked in favour of foreign items. It is good that now we are progressing in a better direction.”
“We should think with confidence about our comprehensive integral vision, relevant policies and proper implementation to actualise our economic goals,” he said.
Shri Mohan Bhagwat launched books Your Degree is not Enough and Tough Choices & Hard Decisions: Rebuilding India, authored by Prof Rajendra Pratap Gupta in a virtual book launch ceremony in New Delhi.
