Amidst US tariff tensions, NCERT launches ‘Swadeshi’ module for students, echoes PM Modi’s call for self-reliance

The recently released module on swadeshi for the secondary stage begins with a section on self-reliance from the Prime Minister’s speech on Independence Day this year. “Self-reliance is not confined merely to imports and exports, or to rupees, pounds, and dollars. Its meaning is not so limited. Self-reliance is linked to our capability, and when self-reliance begins to diminish, capability too continually declines. Therefore, to preserve, maintain, and enhance our capability, it is imperative to be self-reliant,” the module quotes him as saying.

It points to swadeshi as meaning the use of goods produced in our country, and encouraging others to do the same. Swadeshi is also about believing in the power, creativity, and talent of our own people, and it includes our ideas, thoughts, and innovations, the module explains.

It traces the roots of swadeshi to the Swadeshi Movement which began when the British divided Bengal in 1905. Foreign goods were rejected; Indian alternatives were built through new enterprises, and the “swadeshi spirit” flowed into the world of art, literature and music, the module says, referring to the work of Rabindranath Tagore.

The module refers to what Mahatma Gandhi, Tagore, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Deendayal Upadhyaya, said about swadeshi. For Gandhi, it was about building a strong foundation at home instead of relying on the world, while Vinoba Bhave linked swadeshi with the “welfare of all.” It also refers to “Jamnalal Bajaj (founder of the Bajaj Group), who blended philanthropy with Swadeshi values in business; Rajiv Dixit, who revived the call for Swadeshi in modern India by inspiring youth to boycott foreign goods, revive Ayurveda, and trust in indigenous traditions; and Dattopant Thengadi, who championed workers’ rights and economic nationalism”.

Thengadi was an RSS ideologue who founded the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, and played a key role in setting up the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

Explaining that the swadeshi movement taught Indians that “economic strength is the foundation of political strength,” the module states: “A country that depends entirely on others for clothes, food, or technology can never be truly free. This lesson remains valid today—self-reliance in production and innovation is the key to becoming a global economic power.”

While globalization has connected markets and brought opportunities, it “makes countries vulnerable to foreign shocks like oil price hikes, pandemics, or trade disputes.” Swadeshi reminds us to balance global trade with strong local industries so that we are not overly dependent on external powers, the module states, pointing to countries like Israel, Vietnam, South Korea and Singapore, that have “demonstrated the power of strategic self-reliance.”

A box in the module tells students about choosing Indian products – an Indian brand of juice over imported sodas, khadi or handloom clothes instead of “fast fashion brands”, locally grown food, using an Indian-made app, and supporting Indian start-ups.

The module points to India’s pursuit of “strategic autonomy — the ability to make independent choices in national security, economy, and technology without being overly dependent on external powers” as being rooted in swadeshi. This autonomy now depends on control over critical technologies like semiconductors, it explains.

Moving on to swadeshi in the contemporary era, it states that the vision of swadeshi continues to shape India’s economic strategies. It then explains programmes undertaken by the government from 2014 onwards to make the country “self-reliant”. This includes sections on the ‘Make in India’ initiative (launched in 2014) “introduced at a time when India’s economic growth had slowed down and the country faced critical challenges in sustaining its development”; Startup India; Digital India; Vocal for Local; Atmanirbhar Bharat; Production Linked Incentive Schemes.

Among the swadeshi ‘success stories’ that it refers to are Amul, ISRO, and India’s power sector. It also refers to swadeshi in India’s AI landscape — the IndiaAI Mission, Bharat Gen, and the ‘AI for All’ initiative.

“Just as the Swadeshi movement encouraged Indians to produce and consume locally made goods, today’s Swadeshi 2.0 highlights the need for nations to secure their economies by relying on their own strengths…In a world shaped by globalisation, trade wars, and climate concerns, Swadeshi inspires us to balance global engagement with local strength, ensuring that India grows with dignity, confidence, and sustainability,” the module states.

After the Prime Minister’s push for it, the Ministry of Education has also been focusing on ‘swadeshi’, having announced a Buildathon for students on themes like vocal for local. The Ministry has also asked officials to adopt the Zoho Office Suite for managing official documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, “in pursuit of building a self-reliant ecosystem in technology, hardware, and software solutions”. An office memorandum issued by the Ministry on Friday refers to this as a “bold step in the Swadeshi movement.”

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said last month that he had switched to Zoho’s office suite.