Atmanirbharta, swadeshi echo in PM's speech

At least until the 1991 economic reforms, the tenets of Swadeshi, or made in India, and Atmanirbharta, or self-reliance, which took inspiration from the country's freedom struggle and got reinforced during India's difficult initial years as an independent nation, were integral part of the country's political lexicon, including that of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

- ARCHIS MOHAN

The RSS, which marks its centenary this year, has also for some decades flagged the dangers of demographic changes taking place in the country's border districts.

In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at length on these issues. He urged the people to embrace swadeshi, and detailed his government's commitment to achieve self-reliance across sectors.

He announced the government's intent to set up a high-powered demography mission to study and tackle the crisis of demographic changes taking place in the country's border districts. The government had earlier announced its intent to set up such a committee in the interim Budget of 2024-25.