'There's confusion behind Make in India rhetoric'

Amid all the rhetoric about the 'Make in India' initiative, a parliamentary committee was told by a senior official that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship campaign did not even require a policy, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and committee member Shantaram Naik said on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference at the Congress state headquarters here, Naik said that at a meeting of the parliamentary committee attached to the commerce ministry on Monday, senior officials of the commerce ministry, including Secretary Rajeev Kher, appeared confused over the roadmap for the 'Make in India' initiative.

"There is a complete confusion about how to go ahead with the 'Make in India' campaign. The secretary went on to say that there was no need for a special policy for it, but we as MPs know that a draft policy for 'Make in India' is being worked on," Naik said.

Naik said various government departments were working on their own as far as the delivery of 'Make in India' was concerned and there was no synchronization of efforts.

"Each department is having its own notion as to what constitutes 'Make in India'. As a result, there is going to be disastrous consequences in the Indian economy," Naik said.

"If the concept is floated without proper legal document, be they agreements or legislation, the government is likely to face a number of litigations -- both from Indian and international companies," Naik said, adding that government officials and corporate players were "praising Modi even before reading any document on 'Make in India', which in any case does not exist so far".