ADRIAN NARAYAN WRITES—A government initiative to make a difference in the third largest Asian economy hasn’t gotten off to a very productive start. Announced back in September 2014, Make In India is an undertaking to invite international companies to manufacture their products in India.
Since it’s launch, Make in India has brought in some major companies such as Samsung, Spice Group, and Huawei – but the list stops there. This dilemma isn’t a shocker given the lack of capital and domestic government funding in India.
It’s virtually impossible to close down any factories that employ more that 100 employees unless the company goes bankrupt. In addition, low international trade tariffs and an inefficient, domestic tax regime have made it cheaper to import finished goods instead of manufacturing such products in India. This causes working-class citizens to have no lasting interest in the long-term success of an Indian manufacturing company.
Although India has ranked 134th out of 189 countries in the World Bank’s ease of doing business index in 2014, it still has much potential to advance forward with practical methods. One potential route of stimulating the economy derives from crowdfunding.
Crowdfunding recently helped companies raise money from members of the public and may help increase India’s capital gain. Crowdfunding is not a substitute to essential financial institutions and channels, but another government option that can supplement India’s existing economic structures. This will fluctuate the economy to stimulate more jobs and improve interior infrastructure, a realistic step in moving India in the right direction.
Make in India was intended to invite companies as well as a large amount of unemployed workers to invest in India’s resources. However, before looking to international endeavors, it’s crucial that India’s government first work on domestic problems such as providing accessible and affordable higher education for the 10 million young Indians coming into the workforce for the next fifteen years.
Part of the government’s larger agenda that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is launching aspires to advance India in different sectors, from improving the education system to providing electricity for every household. PM Modi emphasizes that the next generation’s energy, enthusiasm, and enterprise are India’s greatest strengths and unleashing these attributes is his “government’s biggest mission.”
Hopefully, India will take the right steps to tackle its domestic to-do list before attending to major projects like Make in India.