"The call for Aatmnirbharta is not about reverting to economic isolationism" and the idea "does not mean seeking self-centered arrangements or turning the country inwards", India's foreign secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said on Monday. "Its essential aim is to ensure India’s position as a key participant in global supply chains," he said in an online speech addressing the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). "It is important to identify products and commodities where India has the ability or potential to expand domestic production and enhance global availability. True, we cannot make everything — but we can certainly make many, many more things than we currently are." [emphasis ours] India has seen weeks of heightened tensions with China at the Ladakh border, where 20 Indian soldiers were killed as troops from the two sides violently clashed. While talks have been ongoing, the Indian government last week banned 59 'Chinese' apps, under the garb of national security and privacy. Calls for local manufacturing and self-reliance have been increasing ever since, even for apps. Talking about how diplomacy has had to move online with the pandemic, Shringla said that, "The increase in tensions in different parts of the world, including on the Line of Actual Control between India and China, have only emphasised the criticality of continued communication." Read more: Week after ‘Chinese’ app ban, Indian govt launches ‘Atmanirbhar’ app innovation challenge Pvt sector crucial, fintech to contribute to economic growth Private sector participation will be encouraged: Shringla said that it has…
