'Mission Self-Reliant India': COVID-19 crisis opportunity, says PM Modi as he announces Rs 20 lakh crore package

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said coronavirus outbreaks has provided an opportunity for India to become self-reliant and announced a Rs 20 lakh crore package for the purpose. 

Addressing the nation on the COVID-19 outbreak, Modi said the crisis that an unprecedented crisis has emerged but in this battle, we not only need to protect ourselves but also have to keep moving forward. 

"There is an unprecedented crisis but India will neither get tired nor give up the fight against coronavirus," Modi said.

"We are at a very crucial crossroads. This crisis has brought a signal for India, message for India, an opportunity for India," he said. 

"When the corona crisis began, there was not a single PPE kit made in India. N-95 masks were produced nominally in India. Today the situation is that India is producing 2 lakh PPE and 2 lakh N-95 masks everyday," he added. 

"India is now supplying medicine to fight the virus all over the world. The entire world believes India can do better and help them," the Prime Minister said his 35-minute long televised address, as he announced a Rs 20 lakh crore package. 

The Prime Minister said that the definition of self-reliance has undergone a change in the globalized world and clarified that when the country talks about self-reliance, it is different from being self-centred. He said that India’s culture considers the world as one family, and progress in India is part of, and also contributes to, progress in the whole world.  He noted that the world trusts that India has a lot to contribute towards the development of the entire humanity.

The details of the package will be given by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the upcoming days. 

This economic package, he said, is for our labourers, farmers, honest taxpayers, MSMEs and cottage industry. 

He noted that this package, taken together with earlier announcements by the government during COVID crisis and decisions taken by RBI, is to the tune of Rs 20 lakh crore, which is equivalent to almost 10% of India’s GDP. He said that the package will provide a much-needed boost towards achieving ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.

Modi said the package will also focus on land, labour, liquidity and laws. It will cater to various sections including cottage industry, MSMEs, labourers, middle class, industries, among others. He informed that the details of the contours of the package will be provided by the Finance Minister from tomorrow, in the coming few days.

He said that a self-reliant India will stand on five pillars viz. Economy, which brings in quantum jump and not incremental change; Infrastructure, which should become the identity of India; System, based on 21st-century technology-driven arrangements; Vibrant Demography, which is our source of energy for a self-reliant India; and Demand, whereby the strength of our demand and supply chain should be utilized to full capacity. He underlined the importance of strengthening all stakeholders in the supply chain to increase, as well as fulfill, the demand.

Talking about the positive impact of reforms like JAM trinity and others, brought about in the last six years, Prime Minister said that several bold reforms are needed to make the country self-reliant, so that the impact of crisis such as COVID, can be negated in future. These reforms include supply chain reforms for agriculture, rational tax system, simple and clear laws, capable human resource and a strong financial system. 

These reforms will promote business, attract investment, and further strengthen Make in India, he said. 

The Prime Minister remarked that self-reliance will prepare the country for tough competition in the global supply chain, and it is important that the country wins this competition. The same has been kept in mind while preparing the package. It will not only increase efficiency in various sectors but also ensure quality.

Highlighting their contribution to the country, the Prime Minister said that the package will also focus on empowering the poor, labourers, migrants, etc., both from organized and unorganized sectors.

Modi observed that the crisis has taught us the importance of local manufacturing, the local market and local supply chains. All our demands during the crisis were met ‘locally’. Now, its time to be vocal about the local products and help these local products become global, he said.

Speaking on the next phase of lockdown, Modi said that its contours will be completely different from those seen yet. On the basis of recommendations received from states, new rules will be framed, and information about the same will be conveyed before 18th May.

He noted that several experts and scientists have said that the virus is going to be part of our lives for a long time. 

"But, it is also important to ensure that our life does not revolve only around it," Modi said as he exhorted people to work towards their targets while taking precautions like wearing masks and maintaining ‘do gaz doori’.