Swadeshi not just slogan but foundation for self-reliant India: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Dehradun, Sept 28 (PTI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday said Swadeshi is not just a slogan, but the foundation for a self-reliant and developed India.

Addressing the media at an event on the theme 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat Swadeshi Sankalp - Har Ghar Swadeshi, Ghar Ghar Swadeshi' at the state BJP office here, Dhami said the campaign will further strengthen the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to achieve a self-reliant India by 2047.

"Swadeshi has been our way of life, rooted in Sanatan culture since ancient times," he said.

The chief minister said Operation Sindoor, in which indigenously manufactured weapons were used to destroy terror camps in Pakistan, showed the growing strength of Swadeshi to the world.

"Swadeshi is not limited to Khadi and lamps; it has expanded to modern technologies such as the BrahMos missile, Tejas aircraft, semiconductors, Digital India, and UPI. Its impact was visible in the destruction of terror bases inside Pakistan under Operation Sindoor," Dhami said.

"The production of PPE kits and vaccines during the Covid crisis was a living example of India's indigenous strength. Previously, PPE kits were imported but they are now manufactured domestically," he said.

The Swadeshi movement led by people like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi infused new energy into the country's freedom struggle and thus became the foundation for nation building as well, Dhami said.

After Independence, Dattopant Thengadi and Deendayal Upadhyaya promoted a Swadeshi-based economic approach, he added.

"Prime Minister Modi's call for making a self-reliant India and his campaigns like 'Vocal for Local' and 'Make in India' are based on the model of Swadeshi," he said.

The chief minister also said that Uttarakhand's local products under the umbrella brand called 'House of Himalayas' are becoming popular across the country.

"Public awareness will be created in Uttarakhand under the 'Har Ghar Swadeshi, Ghar Ghar Swadeshi' campaign," Dhami said, as he appealed to the people of Uttarakhand to buy indigenous products during Navratri, Dussehra and Diwali, as well as for weddings.

"We must embrace indigenous products and ensure that most of the goods we use are Swadeshi. Our collective efforts will take us towards the goal of a self-reliant India," he said. PTI ALM ARI