Group Discussion on Make in India

Make in India initiative was launched to encourage Indian as well as multi-national companies to manufacture products in India. Foreign direct investment saw its all time biggest rise.

In this Group Discussion on Make in India guide, we are going to see some interesting facts, quotes & pros and cons of this initiative. We have also put together a list of GD topics usually given around this subject, by the selection panel.

Here are some facts and figures to help put the puzzle pieces of the Make in India campaign back into place from where it started in 2014 to where it has reached today.

Some facts about Make in India:

  • Between September 2014 and November 2015, the government received र1.20 lakh crore worth of proposals from companies interested in manufacturing electronics in India.
  • 24.8% of smartphones shipped in the country in the April-June quarter of 2015 were made in India, up from 19.9% the previous quarter.
  • The government is targeting to achieve net zero imports of electronics by 2020 by creating a level playing field and providing an enabling environment.
  • On 16 October 2015, Boeing chairman James McNerney said that the company could assemble fighter planes and either the Apache or Chinook defence helicopter in India. The company is also willing to manufacture the F/A-18 Super Hornet in India if the Indian Air Force (IAF) were to purchase it.
  • A defence deal was signed for Russia to make Kamov Ka-226 multi-role helicopter in India. This is widely seen as the first defence deal to be actually signed under the Make in India campaign.
  • In May 2017, the Union Cabinet approved the construction of 10 indigenously-built "Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs)". The contracts for the reactors worth an estimated र70,000 crore will be awarded to Indian companies.
  • The construction 10 reactors with a combined nuclear capacity of 7 GW are also expected to create 33,400 direct and indirect jobs.

Group discussion topics on Make in India:

1. Make in India Versus Make for India - what should be the focus at the moment?
2. Make in India is not going to benefit the middle class or the poor.
3. Pros and cons of the Make in India initiative after three years of its launch.
4.  Make in India initiative will prove to be the milestone in making India a manufacturing hub.
5. Demonetisation turned the table against Make in India initiative.
6. Is the Make in India initiative dead after three years of its foundation?
7. High GST rates - A big drawback to the Make in India project.
8. Make in India needs reforms and revamping.
9. Gujarat Nano factory failure is an evidence of the failure of Make in India.
10. Banning Chinese products should be the first step towards make in India.

Some quotes that you can use in Group Discussions on Make in India:

"We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made."
- Albert Einstein

"Make-In-India is a Lion's Step': Its Symbol is a Lion Made of Cogs".
- Narendra Modi

"If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!"
- Romaine Rolland

Pros:

1. Employment opportunities: If successful after a couple of years, this project should be able to open up more jobs in India than what our youth might be in need of.

2. Fighting poverty: More jobs, more employment and less poverty is the ultimate aim of this campaign.

3. Foreign Investment: FDI flowed in after the announcement. Many multi-national companies have shown interest in opening up manufacturing units in India.

4. Healthy competition: Indian Companies will get good competition and will improve their working and calibre to meet the international standards.

Cons:

1. Capitalization: More FDI is not such good news for the campaign given that those companies are mostly notorious of placing their own returns as priority.

2. Corruption: There is bound to be indulging in monopoly, nepotism, corruption, favouritism and what not given our politician's records.

3. Environment:  If liberalisation did not harm the environment enough, this initiative will attract companies that will be more callous to our environment.

4. More debt: We are under huge debt. Inviting more FDI is not solving this issue anywhere nearly possible but definitely worsening it.

Conclusion:

The initiative was brought with an intention to improve the economic status of the country. If it delivers the results it expected during conceptualization, the country will have a lot to thank PM Modi for!

Knowing what to expect at an exam is like half the battle won. We hope that you find this GD guide on Make in India useful for your entrance exams and placement exams.