Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Friday said that strengthening of local industries and purchase of local goods were crucial for development of the nation.
Speaking at the inauguration of three-day 13th national convention of Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) here on Friday, he said that while many developed countries followed the idea of ‘think global and buy local,’ Indians followed it the other way by thinking locally and buying globally.
“Take a simple product like potato chips. While potato is grown here, chips are made here and consumed here, the money goes abroad to few multinational companies,” he said.
Highlighting that there was a sound local economy with manufacture of certain products unique to a region like Thanjavur dolls and Tirunelveli halwa, he said that such region specific economy must be revived.
In a reference to the recent protests in Thoothukudi that resulted in the closure of Sterlite Copper, he said that the closure had resulted in India importing hundreds of tonnes of copper from abroad, which, he argued, was not good for the economy.
Ashwani Mahajan, national co-convenor of SJM, said that four key resolutions were to be passed as part of the convention.
Elaborating on the resolutions, he said that one was to urge the Union government to withdraw from the ongoing negotiations for Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed free trade agreement between 16 Asia and Asia-pacific countries, which, he said, would adversely affect the Indian economy and increase trade deficit, particularly with China.
Arguing that e-commerce websites were killing businesses of smaller vendors across the country, he said that the second resolution would demand immediate restrictions on unfair trade practices of these companies. “The companies are trying to prevent some regulations coming into force from February 1, 2019. However, we want the government to go ahead with it,” he added.
Similarly, he said that SJM would highlight the need for rethinking the present model of development, followed by both the present and previous Union governments, which gave importance to foreign direct investment (FDI). “Instead, our economy must be strengthened through locally available resources,” he said.
Lastly, he said that SJM would demand stringent control on illegal entry of migrants from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.
“It is resulting in unemployment and stagnation of wages for Indians,” he added.
Arun Ojha, national convenor, SJM, V. Chidambaram, grandson of renowned freedom fighter V.O. Chidambaram Pillai, R. Sundaram, national co-convenor, SJM, and V.R. Muthu, managing director, V.V.V and Sons Edible Oils Limited, also spoke.
