'Atmanirbhar' not inward looking: MEA official

An official of the ministry of external affairs (MEA) Friday said that the 'Atmanirbhar' programme has been launched by the government to make India as a hub of global supply chain and not inward-looking.

Rahul Chhabra, secretary (economic relations) to the MEA said that the Covid-19 pandemic is like a 'black swan' event which has caused the fastest decline in global output in history.

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Speaking at a webinar organised by Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, Chhabra said that the government has responded to this by launching the 'Atmanirbhar' (self-reliant) programme to make India a nerve centre of global supply chain.

"It is certainly not inward-looking", he said adding the programme also underscores the government's faith in the private sector to deliver.

"The world has seen the danger of relying on one country. Messages have also been sent to Indian missions abroad to promote the country as an alternative low-cost sourcing destination".

Chabbra said India has proved that it is the pharmacy of the world as drugs were supplied to 125 countries for battling the Covid-19 crisis and 80 countries received the drugs as grants.

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India has also been providing lines of credit to many countries across the world to build infrastructure projects, he said.

The goal of commercial diplomacy is based on the benchmarks of transparency, fair and equitable justice, Chabbra added.