Trishna Pegu Doley
GUWAHATI : Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi said that the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan launched by the Prime Minister to face the challenges and threats by COVID 19 pandemic is embedded with the virtues of Gandhian economic approach focussing on spirit of self-reliance and autonomy.Inaugurating an international webinar on ‘Sustainable Technologies and Rural Development: A Gandhian Perspective’ jointly organised by Tezpur University with GIC-Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok from Raj Bhavan today, the Governor said that considering that fact that India is largely agrarian, the core concepts of self-sustainability and comprehensive rural development are the key approaches to national socio-economic development to both Gandhian Philosophy and Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. He also observed that a nation which is strong and self-dependant in core sectors of the economy will stand tall and self-assured in the comity of nations. Referring to Mahatma Gandhi, Governor Prof. Mukhi said that Gandhiji thought of a model consistent with political, economic and social context of his time to steer the growth of India which was ridden by the ills of the foreign power. In such a complex scenario, Mahatma Gandhi realized that the greatest need for India was SWARAJ, which alone can usher in a paradigm shift in the country’s socio-politico-economic independence, the Governor added. Prof. Mukhi also said that Gandhiji realized that to attain Swaraj based upon the core principle of satyagraha, ahimsa and abhaya, an anti colonial integrated alternative was required for which he evolved the concept of GRAM SWARAJYA. He also maintained that Gandhiji realised that in order to realise SWARAJYA, the countrymen need to be independent of the products of the colonial masters and therefore, propounded Gram Swarajya, where the traditional village economy of the rural India, could thrive in an autonomous manner by becoming self-dependant. The Governor also observed that in today’s time when India is facing the COVID 19 situation with fortitude and a spirit of self-reliance, Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of sustainable development which is a natural corollary to the swarajya can steer the country towards self-reliance. He also said that the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan launched in the country is to empower the citizens using the country’s own verdant resources using its own innovation, creativity and sustainable technologies.It may be noted that as per the direction of the Ministry of Higher Education, Govt. of India and University Grants Commission, as part of the celebrations of 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, this one day international webinar was organised to highlight the relevance of Gandhian Philosophy in today’s sustainable technologies and rural development.
