THE PURSUIT OF SELF RELIANCE

“..In the earlier decades the rallying cry of the deprived people was independence. Today it should be self-reliance....“ - Indira Gandhi, 1972 March 20, New Delhi

The achievements under Indira Gandhi’s leadership have been truly outstanding with respect to achieving self-reliance and ensuring social justice.

• As the Prime Minister, Indira carried forward the Nehru legacy in economic planning. Like Nehru, she was committed to achieving self-reliance in crucial sectors like food grains, defence and technology. Through the measures pursued by her, the Indian economy was insulated from adverse international issues such as the oil crisis. She also worked towards bringing down inflation to a reasonably low level, both in the mid-seventies and the early eighties. The domestic production of crude oil had been stepped up substantially during this period.
• Like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira pursued an imaginative policy of developing scientific research within the country by strengthening various scientific laboratories and institutions through increased funding. It is now widely recognised that India occupies a leading position in the developing countries with respect to scientific manpower and know-how.
• The second phase of land reforms undertaken in the early seventies altered the scenario in rural India by preventing the concentration of land in just a few hands. It provided land to millions of landless families.
• She took special interest in space research and research for peaceful uses of atomic energy.