Swa Deshi

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SwadeshiIntroduction

The concept of Swadeshi is more than 100 years old. It

was a guiding force for the Indian freedom struggle under

the visionary leadership of Lokmanya Tilak, Veer

Savarkar, Shri uro!indo and "ahatama #andhi. $ven

decades after independence from %ritish &olonialism it

was felt that for total economic freedom it is essential to

make Swadeshi a way of life. To make people aware of

the on going economic imperialism, few organi'ations like

%haratiya "a'door Sangh (%"S), %haratiya *isan Sangh

(%*S), khil %haratiya Vidyarthi +arishad (%V+) etc.

started a massive campaign for Swadeshi in 1-0s. This

movement helped in spreading awareness among themasses a!out the importance of Swadeshi as a way of

life. To give this movement a concrete form, It was

decided to esta!lish Swadeshi agaran "anch (S").

ccordingly, S" came into e/istence on ovem!er ,

11 at agpur. 2epresentatives of five national level

organisations including %"S, %V+, %*S, khil %haratiya#rahak +anchayat (%#+) 3 Sahkar %harati took this

decision in the presence of Shri 4ottopant Thengdi,

founder of %"S. 5or proper e/ecution of movement a

&entral &ommittee was formed and 4r. ".#. %okare ($/

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Vice &hancellor, agpur 6niversity) was given the

responsi!ility of convener. 7n 1 anuary 1, %irth

nniversary of Swami Vivekanand, the first massive

campaign against the economic policy of centralgovernment started. +eople from all walks of life with

distinct ideologies came together on the S" platform to

fight against economic imperialism. Su!se8uently

literature on Swadeshi, intellectual property rights. #TT

and economic imperialism of multinationals was pu!lished

and distri!uted to populari'e the cause of S". Later onmany other organi'ations 9oined the forces for Swadeshi

like Vanvasi *alyan shram, Vidya %harati, 2ashtra

Sevika Samiti, %haratiya Sikshan "andal etc. Today S"

has !ecome an all:encompassing movement with more

than 1; organi'ations associated with it and has many

other dimensions to its credit.

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in =indi as well as in $nglish, intellectual support center

and awards to master craftsmen 3 producers for e/cellent

Swadeshi +roducts are some of the dimensions in which

S" has worked with marked success. In short, Swadeshiagran "anch has emerged as a forceful mo!ili'ation,

with a vision and action plan for a truly self reliant %harat

and e8uita!le world order, that no!ody can afford to

ignore.

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MovementActivities & Programmes of SJM

S" come into e/istence on ovem!er 11 at agpur

and within a short period it started its activities on a

warfront. 7n the !irth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand,

1 anuary 1 the struggle against the economic

imperialism !egan in the form of mass awareness

programme. In this campaign the changes in the economic

policies, devaluation of rupee and interference of e/ternal

powers in the policy:making decisions and their collective

harmful impacts on Indian economy were e/posed to the

pu!lic.

round the same time primary literature on Swadeshi was

circulated in the different states. Later on various related

topics were covered 3 pu!lished on a regular !asis.

mong them the prominent ones are > The Third

lternative > !y Shri 4attapant Thengdi, > The "enace of

"ultinationals? !y Shri 4ayakrishna, > =indu $conomics?

!y 4r.".#.%oakare etc.

The first ma9or pu!lic meeting of S" was organised at

"um!ai on ovem!er 1, which was addressed !y

prominent thinkers and national level workers. This

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meeting proved that people from different ideological

!ackgrounds were willing to share the platform of S" on

an all:concerning issue like Swadeshi.

The first national convention was held at ew 4elhi on

Septem!er @: ;, 1AB which did C delegates attend.

%efore that many associate organisations of S" like

%"S, %V+, %*S, %#+ etc. carried out their own action

programmes for spreading awareness a!out harmful

effects of 4uncalDs 4raft. Therefore, representatives from

these organisations were also present at 4elhi convention.

Thereafter on all India level a meeting of main workers

was held at agpur on 1;th ovem!er 1A. In this

meeting it was decided to !oycott the products of "&s

like +epsi, &oke 3 &olgate. The &entral #ovt. was

re8uested for not to agree on 4uncalDs 4raft.

The first meeting at ational &ouncil was held at +une on

pril :A, 1@. ll state conveners, representatives from

associated organisations and all central committee

mem!ers attended it. In this meeting it was decided to

!egin afresh a massive mass:awakening programme. This

was a ma9or achievement for S".

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with 4uncalDs proposals. +eople took vow to use

Swadeshi products and there!y help India in !ecoming a

self:sufficient nation. 4uring this movement AE Swadeshi

4epots were opened and more than A0 million pamphletswere distri!uted among people. +olitical activities from

distinct ideologies work together for S" in its struggle for

economic independence.

Second ational &ouncil meeting was held at "adras.

Thereafter one:day conference was organised against the

#ovt. policy of giving permission to "&s for catching fishin the Indian waters. 7n "ay C:E, 1; ational

&onference against e/port of cattle:meat was held at

=ydera!ad. seminar was organised on the issue of

power at "um!ai on Cth "ay 1;. ational ction

#roup on +ower was esta!lished to fight against the

irregularities in the deals with "&s. This ction #rouphad its first meeting on 1st 7cto!er 1;. movement

was started against $nron &orp., which had a deal with

"aharashtra State #ovt. to start a mega power at 4a!hol.

This deal violated all principles and the pu!lic was kept in

total darkness a!out the agreements. The advice of

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massive victory for Swadeshi "ovement which saved

thousands of crores of 2upees !y forcing other power

companies to down price their deals. In ugust 1;

another milestone was achieved when pu!lication ofSwadeshi patrika started. It was desired for long and

would help the movement in long run.

The second national convention of S" was held at

&alcutta on ovem!er @:;, 1;. Total @@ delegates

from different part of country took part in it. 2esolutions on

F &ultural Invasion through "edia F3 F $conomic situationof the country F were passed in this convention. ction

groups on +ower, pro!lems of weavers, +atent laws,

livestock safety 3 fishing in deep sea were formed to

effectively handle these issues.

+resentation of cattle wealth was the first among many

issues on which the "anch launched a successfulnationwide movement. The campaign started from

Sewagram,

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The first meeting of the campaign committee in support of

%eedi workers was held at +une at +une on E th anuary,

1C. The threat faced !y the millions of %eedi workers,

as a result of the governmentDs decision to permitmanufacturer of mini cigarettes and to reduce ta/es on

them, was discussed at the meeting.

al Gatra (%oat "arch) was organised against the

decision of the central government to grant licenses to the

"&s for deep:sea:fishing from !oth the coastal areas of

the country covering a!out E000 kms. this al Gatrapassed through si/ coastal states of the country. 5or the

first time, in this struggle for survival !y the fisherman,

their own !oats and other e8uipment were used as an

instrument of mass:awakening one !ranch of al Gatra

started from +or!andar (#u9arat) on the west coast on nd

anuary, 1C under the leadership of Shri Lal9i %hai +ateland another from *akdwip on the $ast &oast on 1@ th

anuary under the leadership of Shri Sura9 "itra. %oth

ended on - th 5e!ruary at Thiruvananthapuram.

seminar on >+ower +olicy &ontradiction and Swadeshi

+erspective? was organised in 4elhi on Eth 3 - th pril

1C !y the working group on power formed !y theSwadeshi agaran "anch. Shri Trilok ath &haturvedi,

"+ and 5ormer &ontroller and uditor #eneral of India

inaugurated this seminar. "any e/perts and technologists

from the power sector participated in the seminar.

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meeting of the ational &ouncil was held on ; and C

7cto!er 1C at 4elhi. report on the past activities and a

plan of the future programmes was presented.

7rganisational goals were determined and an action planwas prepared at the meeting.

ational The &oncept of 4evelopment?

was organised at +une from 7cto!er -:A0, 1C the

ational

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warned the government against the free imports of A-0

items under e/im policy.

The first 2ashtriya Vichar Varga was organised in 4elhi

from "ay A:, 1- in order to hold discussions on the

current economic situation in the country, the challenges

posed !y li!eralisation,

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The &entral Steering &ommittee of Swadeshi agaran

"anch met on 7cto!er -: at "um!ai. t the meeting a

resolution was passed against the controversial economic

decisions of the &entral #overnment.

The "anch organised a dharna at antar "antar in 4elhi

on 4ecem!er A, 1- to register its protest against the

insurance !ill.

To promote %haratiya producers and to esta!lish

Swadeshi entrepreneurs a Swadeshi "ela was organised

on grand scale !y &entre for %haratiya "arketing

4evelopment (&%"4) at +ragati "aidan, ew 4elhi from

anuary ;:A0, 1. "ore than A00 !usiness houses

participated in the "ela. Shri tal %ehari Va9payee =onD!l.

+rime "inister inaugurated "ela.

7n 5e!ruary ;, 1 a mass rally was organised at

2amlila "aidan, 4elhi, to challenge the undemocratic

structure of

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Philosophy

H

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e/traordinary welfare commitments like old age !enefits

and unemployment doles which work out to over half of

the #4+ in many

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communism does. The Swadeshi glo!al view is >let a

thousand markets !loom : and not merge into one glo!al

market?.

The 2ole of the State Swadeshi approach sees the State

as the primary instrument to protect the nation and its

interests and a residuary instrument in respect of all intra:

national matters. Its role is, as %hishma said in Shanti

+arva in "aha!harata, to protect the weak and to ensure

that 4harma is adhered to. The state must defend the

wealth and honour of the nation. 7rdinarily, and e/cept inorder to protect national interests against foreign interests,

the State must not !e a traderB !ut must ensure that trade

and commerce conforms to 4harma.

rrangement !etween individual, state, market and

communityJsocietyJfamily Swadeshi looks upon the

individual, State, "arket and the 4harmic collectivitiesnamely, family, community, religion and society, as a

means to sustain the FVyavaharD (material life) consistent

with the total and integral o!9ect of individual and collective

life, namely, the +urusharthas. In the Swadeshi approach,

all these institutions are delivery mechanisms as much for

socio:economic purposes as for the higher purposes.Swadeshi Life is !ased on 4harma

Swadeshi !elieves that, mere rule of law is inade8uate to

lay the ground for social interactions. higher order of life

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has !een in practice in IndiaB all non:official community

and social transactions take place on this higher principle

of life called dharma, even today. F4harmaD : an ancient

Indian concept, which has no $nglish e8uivalent : meansFthat which sustainsD. In its wider sense, it implies the

nourishment of all aspects of life : individual social glo!al.

Swadharma forms the very core of SwadeshiB Swadeshi is

the living tradition of India. Though !uried under the

veneer of the superficial

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It is not autarkyB !ut a glo!al alternative, which accepts

only need:!ased trans nationalism.

Swadeshi restores economics to its earlier definition which

even now the dictionary meaning of economy indicates,

namely, practical human needs, frugality, savings, thrift

etc. and seeks to remove the latter:day distortion of

defining economics as multiplication of wants and efforts

to satisfy them, powered !y greed.

Stated in simple terms, Swadeshi re9ects materialistic and

imperialistic homogenisation and aimless transnationalism

of the

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: %alanced development of all regions and the society as

a whole.

To achieve these goals, following o!9ectives need to !e

fulfilled$nsuring satisfaction of the !asic needs of all

people within 10 years. 5ood, clothing, housing,

education, health, drinking water, energy and transport !e

recognised as !asic needs. Involvement in meaningful and

productive work is the only guarantee for achieving !asic

needs. Therefore, ensuring proper employment to all

eligi!le hands should !e the first o!9ective of nationalplanning. $nsuring fulfillment of this o!9ective in the ne/t

decade. %uilding %harat as a world power in the ne/t ;

years. $nsuring that income:ine8ualities remain within

reasona!le limits. 2atio of income of top 0 per cent and

!ottom 0 per cent should not e/ceed 101.#enerally

promoting national self:confidence and national pride !y8ualitative change in education, sports, media

programmes, and conduct of pu!lic men. 5or achieving

these important indices of national strength, pride and self:

respect, the nation has to evolve a !road national

consensus cutting across all differences. Swadeshi means

creation of national wealth and power.

It is a mistaken notion that the need:!ased approach of

the Swadeshi philosophy is against creation of wealth. The

Swadeshi thought is merely an in9unction against unlimited

consumptionB it is a mandate for conservation and

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preservation of national assets and resourcesB it is an

emphasis on personal and family savings, it is an

in9unction against wasteful and needless e/penditure. The

tradition of Swadeshi alone made India one of the richestand prosperous nations in the world. That is why

&olum!us and Vasco:de:#ama set out to search for India.

India attracted !ar!aric invasions !ecause of its well:

known prosperity. %ut prosperity was considered a social

and national asset : not merely a personal asset.

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operations without an Indian partner, which is currently a

re8uirement.

The proposed 6#& ($sta!lishment 3 7peration of

&ampuses of 5oreign $ducational Institutions) 2ules

re8uires that foreign education providers set up the India

campuses as not:for:profit companies, that is companies

set up under Section ; of the old &ompanies ct (Section

- of the new one). The proposal has the support of the

department of industrial policy 3 promotion (4I++) and the

department of economic affairs (4$). HThe ministry had

sought comments and o!servations of 4I++ and 4$ on

the rules. %oth have supported the proposal,H the =24

ministry spokesperson said.

To foreign universities, the move presents an opportunity

to tap a country with a population of 1. !illion. Several

foreign universities have !een keen to enter India to tap a

higher educational market that is worth 2s.@C,00 crore

and e/panding !y 1- every year.Till now they had to do

so through partnerships.

The 5oreign $ducation +rovidersD %ill is still awaiting

parliamentary approval. The announcement, which is

effectively an e/ecutive order, doesnDt need to !e

approved !y +arliament and could see a rush of foreign

universities to enter India.

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6nder the proposed rules, foreign universities can set up

campuses in India once they have !een notified as

Fforeign education providerD !y 6#&. n educational

institution wishing to operate in India needs to !e in the

top @00 in one of three glo!al rankings the 6*:!ased

Times =igher $ducation 2ankingB Muac8uarelli Symonds

ranking pu!lished in 6* againB and the &hina:!ased

Shanghai iao Tong 6niversity rankings.

n =24 ministry official has reportedly said that at least

0 foreign universitiesNmostly from 6S, followed !y

ustralia and &anadaNhave e/pressed their desire to

enter the market.

The degrees awarded !y foreign universities in India will

!e considered foreign degrees and students holding these

degrees need to get an e8uivalence certificate from the

ssociation of Indian 6niversities (I6), the =24 ministry

said in its statement. These universities will also function

under the 6#& rules.

The profit motive

foreign university cannot repatriate money that it makes

in India. nd any university seeking entry to India must !e

accredited !y !odies in its home country. >Muality control

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is key and we will !uild the safeguard mechanism with

each of the universities,? a second official in the =24

ministry said.

The two =24 ministry officials have said enough changes

have !een made to make it attractive for foreign

universities to enter India. The India campus will function

as a !ranch campus of the parent, rather than as an

independent campus. The universities will offer the same

degree they are offering in their parent campus. nd the

ministry has reduced the deposit universities have tomaintain with the ministry (and which they will forfeit in

case of any violation) from 2s.;0 crore to 2s.; crore.

The official descri!ed the ministryDs move as >li!erali'ing

the higher education space the way India economy was

li!erali'ed !etween 11 and 1A?.

O4espite economic !oom, IndiaOs 9o! growth has shrunkO

2aising 8uestions over the governmentOs slogan of

inclusive growth, an official report has said the rate at

which new 9o!s were added to IndiaOs la!our force had

declined !etween 1A and 00; despite an economic

!oom. The annual growth rate of employment declined to

1.-; percent from .0A percent !etween 1A and 00;

despite higher aggregate growth, said the report released

here !y the ational &ommission for $nterprises in the

6norganised Sector.

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OThe net growth in employment has also !een mostly of

an informal kind,O the commission said in the report titled

O&hallenges of $mployment in India n Informal $conomy

+erspectiveO. OThe national agenda of inclusion would !edeficient were it not to provide a life of dignity and security

to the poor and vulnera!le in India, constituting over E;

percent of the population. $mployment, then, !ecomes the

central o!9ective.O

$8ually alarming was the finding that the growth rate of

wages under all categories of workers, including casual

la!ourers, also declined during the period under review.

OInstead of creating a level playing field, policies have

focused on creating special playing fields for large

corporate entities, undermining micro and small

enterprises that provide productive employment to thegrowing la!our force,O it said.

OInformal sector lacks access to credit, technology,

marketing, skills and incentives,O said the commission,

which was set up in Septem!er 00@ to review the status

of employment in IndiaOs unorganised or informal sector.

This section of the la!our force constitutes a whopping A

percent of IndiaOs la!our force, which is estimated at ;A-

million as in 00E, e8ualling the countryOs entire population

in 1E1.

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The commission also said that the share of government

and pu!lic sector in the countryOs total workforce declined

from ;.@ percent in 1-A to A. percent in 00;, while it

shrank from .; percent to 9ust 1.- percent for privatesector.

O4espite the private sector constituting merely percent of

the workforce, it receives inordinate attention and

preferred treatment,O says the commission, listing the

incentives as cheap credit, access to overseas funds and

e/port sops.

OInstead of !ailing out !ig companies, the government

should now shift attention to more local markets and rural

areas,O *.+. *annan, mem!er of the commission, told

IS, soon after presenting the report to +rime "inister

"anmohan Singh.

OIf the current trends continue, the comparative deficit in

education and skills in regions of the country that will

contri!ute to a ma9or part of the growth of the la!our force

will !e even more glaring in the future,O *annan added.

Looking ahead, the commission has pro9ected thecountryOs la!our force at ;0 million !y 01 and ;;1

million !y 01E : a num!er that is greater than the

countryOs population of ;@- million in 1E1.

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It, accordingly, says that were the Indian economy to

grow at percent per annum during the period, some @--

million 9o!s will !e created, leaving an unemployment level

of .; percent !y 01.

%ut if the economy grows at 9ust ; percent during the

period, 9o! creation will !e around @C; million, leaving an

unemployment level of a little over E percent.

evertheless, it says that if the economy e/pands !y

percent per annum, there would !e no unemployment !y

01E. %ut on the flip side, if economic growth is 9ust ;

percent, the unemployment level will !e over 10 percent.

(IS)

$mployement