'Swadeshi should be our mantra, investment can be foreign but work should be Indian': PM Modi

PM Modi flagged off Maruti Suzuki's first global electric car, the e Vitara.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said swadeshi should be everyone’s life mantra, adding that his government’s Make in India initiative has created a favourable environment for both global and domestic manufacturers.

Emphasising on Make in India, he said it does not matter where the investment comes from as long as Indians are getting the job and doing the work.

“My understanding of local is simple. I do not care who is investing, either in dollars or pounds. However, it should be made in India…Swadeshi should be our life mantra; swadeshi is where money is invested by anybody but work is done by Indians," he said.

Modi asked people to buy only swadeshi products, adding it is not important who makes the investment, but what matters is that the hard work for making the product should be of Indians. In that way, Maruti Suzuki is also a swadeshi company, he said.

Modi said swadeshi should be every Indian’s life mantra. “My definition of swadeshi is where money is invested by anybody but work is done by Indians,” he added.

“Today is a great day for 'Make in India' as e-vehicles made in the country will be exported to 100 countries. The world will drive electric vehicles that are made in India,” he said.

The Make in India initiative has created a favourable environment for both global and domestic manufacturers, Modi said.

“The world will drive electric vehicles that are made in India, Modi said, after flagging off Maruti Suzuki’s first electric vehicle, the e-Vitara, at the brand’s Hansalpur facility in Gujarat.

In the last decade, electronics production in India has increased by 500 per cent, mobile production has increased by 2,700 per cent and defence production rose by 200 per cent, Modi said.

India has the power of democracy, the advantage of demography and a very large pool of skilled workforce, Modi said.

“This creates a win-win situation for every partner of ours,” he said.

“Today, the entire world is looking towards India. At such a time, no state should lag behind. Every state should take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

“Investors coming to the country should be so confused that they think: should I go to this state or that state,” Modi said. “I invite all states to compete in reforms, pro-development policies and in good governance,” he added.

“India is not going to stop here. In the sectors where we have performed well, we aim to do even better. That is why we are emphasising Mission Manufacturing. In the coming time, our focus will be on futuristic industries,” he said.

India is taking off in the semiconductor sector, Modi said.

Meanwhile, Japanese automobile powerhouse Suzuki announced it will invest over Rs 70,000 crore in India in the next 5-6 years, Suzuki Motor Corporation’s representative director and president Toshihiro Suzuki said on August 25.

The company has partnered in India’s mobility journey for the last four decades and remains committed to supporting the country’s vision for sustainable green mobility and contributing to Viksit Bharat, said Suzuki said.

“We will use a multi-powertrain strategy including electric, strong hybrid, ethanol flex fuel, and compressed biogas, to achieve carbon neutrality and climate change goals.”

The top Suzuki official also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for welcoming the company with “open arms” in Gujarat during his term as chief minister.

The company’s facility in Gujarat will soon become one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturing hubs with an expected production capacity of 1 million units. Moreover, the company said it will export made-in-India battery EV to over 100 nations, including Europe and Japan.

Suzuki said the company chose the Gujarat facility to manufacture e-Vitara, Maruti Suzuki’s first BEV launched on August 26, and it will turn the plant into a global production hub.