Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri PiyushGoyaltoday said thatAatmanirbhar Bharat is about opening India's doors wider so that India engages with the world from a position of strength, on equal, fair & reciprocal terms.

Delivering the keynote address at SwarajyaMag's programme, 'The Vision & Philosophy of AatmaNirbhar Bharat', he said that when we talk of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the effort is India should focus its energies to create what we can within the country, learn from experiences across the world, bring best of technologies to India, attract capital, skills & high-quality education & healthcare.

Technology will play an important role in achieving Aatmanirbharta, and the government will support start-ups & industry in expanding technology ecosystem, he added

Goyal said that the dream of Aatmanirbhar Bharat can become a reality only if we follow Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi's clarion call of Vocal for Local. Stating that AatmanirbharBharat is possible only with jan-bhaagidaari (people’s participation), he said that AatmaNirbhar Bharat will be a reality but needs the active participation of each citizen.

Inviting all to be a part of this journey of a self-reliant India, an economic powerhouse, the Minister said “If we move with determination, enthusiasm & speed, I have no doubt we will be certainly successful in our goal of an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.When you talk of dharma, any of our old legacies & cultural heritage, it always reflects a little bit of focus on: - Aatmanirbhar Individual - Aatmanirbhar Society - Aatmanirbhar Nation. The onus of AatmanirbharBharat is on all of us collectively.”

Goyal said that we must look to leverage Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with countries with whom we have a transparent trading mechanism, working with transparent business systems, whom you can engage with from a position of strength for certain products.

He said that India should focus its energy on doing FTAs with developed countries who are looking for market access in the large Indian markets, but who can also provide us with high technology products while opening the doors in their countries for products where India has strength.

The Minister said that one of the primary reasons we could not join RCEP was that some of the countries in RCEP were not democratic, transparent trading systems. “One does have to be cautious when dealing with a partner who does not give a level playing field or reciprocal access”, he said.

Goyal said that Prime Minister intends to prepare India to become a global player in resilient supply chains. He said that India should emerge as a trusted partner, when like-minded countries are looking to expand trade or looking for alternate sources for the manufacture of their goods & provision of services.

Goyal said that in manufacturing & production, we are looking at high quality & high productivity levels. Stating that Quality & Productivity will be hallmarks of India's future manufacturing industry, he said that next month each sector will dedicate a day to focus on them, and promote them.

He called upon preparing India, inculcating in every Indian the nationalist spirit of supporting India & Indian production, as well as making India a well-respected manufacturer of goods & provider of services.

He said that Production linked incentive programme, which has been expanded to 10 more sectors, will help over 3 crore people in getting well-paying jobs, both formal & informal. It will help entrepreneurs get incentives in the support ecosystem, he added.

Talking about the farmers, he said that we are now preparing the country & our farmers to become stronger & get the ability to market their product anywhere in the country. “Our farmers have made us self-sufficient in food grains. We are now looking at strengthening the hands of farmers”, he added.