On 25 September 2014, as the world witnessed the launch of the ‘Make In India’ campaign which took place in New Delhi, 200 participants comprising business representatives, policy-makers, Singapore’s Indian community, the press, as well as SMU faculty and students, also gathered at SMU’s Mochtar Riady Auditorium to watch the global ‘live’ telecast of launch event.

The ambitious initiative seeking to make India a manufacturing superpower was first announced by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech on 15 August 2014, when he invited the world to manufacture in India and be a part of India’s journey into the next few years.

The ‘live’ telecast event, which was jointly hosted by the Indian High Commission in Singapore and SMU, kicked off with an opening address by Her Excellency Mrs Vijay Thakur Singh, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore.  She commented that the global telecast was ‘a momentus and very unique way of Prime Minister Modi reaching out to the world.’

[Photo: Her Excellency Mrs Vijay Thakur Singh, India’s High Commissioner to Singapore.]

“This event is also taking place against a very momentous background – the Mangalayaan.  How proud were we yesterday, when India launched its space craft into the Mars orbit with clockwork precision.  India joins three other countries to reach Mars and is the only country to have reached Mars in its very first attempt.  India also spent the least amount in this attempt compared to other space agencies – this is illustrative of the fact that India has the determination, the capacity, the ability, human resources and the confidence to achieve (its goals) and India will do it in a cost-effective manner,” she said.

She iterated, “I do hope that in this journey of India, Singapore will play an important role.”

Her Excellency went on to outline the key efforts of the Indian government to attract foreign direct investments and facilitate industrial activities.

More details were shared during the launch, where Prime Minister Modi announced to the country’s top industrialists and the rest of the world that his government has identified 25 sectors where India can become world leader, including automobiles, chemicals, info-technology, pharmaceuticals, textiles, ports, aviation, leather, tourism, wellness and railways.  An “Invest India” unit will be set up in the Commerce Ministry as the first reference point for foreign investors – it will provide help on regulatory and policy issues and assist in obtaining regulatory clearances.  An investor facilitation cell will also assist foreign investors from the time of their arrival in the country to the time of their departure.  It will also woo top companies across sectors in identified countries.

The buzz and dialogue at the end of the telecast was certainly a good indication of the level of interest in the campaign and the success of the joint event.

[Featured photo: 200 participants attended the ‘live’ telecast of ‘Make In India’ Campaign launch at SMU.]