New Delhi: Emphasising the need to promote indigenous goods and products, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked NDA MPs to organise a ‘Swadeshi Mela’ in their constituencies, ThePrint has learnt.
According to sources, during a meeting with NDA MPs Monday, the PM urged them to organise ‘Swadeshi Melas’ in their constituencies, especially between Navratri and Diwali.
Sources said MPs were also asked to conduct exhibitions across different sectors in their constituencies under the theme: ‘Say with pride, this is swadeshi’.
The call for ‘swadeshi’ is a continuation of PM Modi’s pitch for Make-in-India at his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort this year, and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s advice to favour local products over international brands.
The Independence Day call had come at the peak of the India-US chill over trade tariffs, and it has been repeated at a time when there has been a slight dialling down of tensions between Modi and US President Donald Trump.
“The focus of the meeting was on ‘swadeshi’ and the GST reforms that have been undertaken by the government. The idea behind the fairs is to promote India-made products. The PM categorically said the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat cannot be realised without focusing on swadeshi,” said a senior BJP MP.
Another leader who attended the meeting said that special attention must be paid to highlighting the work of local artisans as well as focusing on micro and small industries.
“The PM pointed out that we are the people’s representatives and hence the onus is on us to highlight and promote the ‘Make in India’ campaign by engaging directly with traders and the public,” said another leader.
“PM told the MPs that they should organise an exhibition in every sector of their constituency. The theme will be ‘Say with pride, this is swadeshi’. (At these exhibitions) local artisans, micro and small industries, and indigenous products will be showcased,” explained an MP.
During the meeting, the PM also emphasised on conducting meetings with traders over the GST rate cuts.
Sources told ThePrint that during the meeting, PM Modi also gave directions to the MPs to organise at least 20-30 conferences with local traders and shopkeepers to highlight the GST reforms undertaken by the government.
“PM said there is a lot of buzz about the GST reform undertaken by the government and hence the atmosphere is conducive to educate people about it and also use it as an opportunity to reach out to the public,” said another leader.
Earlier, amidst the tariff imposed on India by the US, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat had said trade should be done voluntarily and not under any pressure and he had made a strong pitch for ‘swadeshi’.
The RSS, including its affiliate organisation, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), has been emphasising on adopting ‘swadeshi’ products.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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