By Nethra Sailesh
Last week, US President Donald Trump imposed a steep 50% tariff on goods exported from India, one of the highest duties in the world. To counter this, the government has launched a three-month-long campaign called the Atmanirbhar Bharat Sankalp Abhiyan, or in other words, the self-reliant India resolution campaign that will start from September 25.
The campaign is slated to begin on the birthday of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, an Indian politician who was one of the forerunners of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The campaign will end on December 25, the birth anniversary of the late former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Activities will be organized primarily across NDA-ruled states.
These new impositions, widely known to be in retaliation for India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and weapons, have caused concerns across various sectors, especially textiles and apparel. To remedy this, the government has also promised tax cuts to soften the impact of tariffs on citizens.
Another part of the campaign will be to spread social awareness about the campaign and push citizens to only use India-made goods. The campaign, which will be launched in collaboration with social organizations, celebrities and influencers.
With the festive season approaching, BJP president J.P. Nadda has instructed party units to encourage the purchase of swadeshi (local) products, which range from puja pandhals, banners, stalls with similar messages related to the campaign, diyas that are locally-made, etc.
The party is also to run a signature campaign with the tagline of “Sankalp for Atmanirbhar Bharat” on social media.
In his Mann Ki Baat radio address for August, PM Modi stressed the importance of people taking pride in Indian- made products, to follow the “vocal for local” mantra, to contribute to making India self-reliant and work towards the goal of a Viksit Bharat.