World will move from 'thinking about buying Indian' to 'buying Indian without thinking': Sitharaman

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday highlighted the Economic Survey and said the survey mentions that a progression from 'Swadeshi' to 'Strategic Resilience' to 'Strategic Indispensability' will ensure the world moves from "thinking about buying Indian" to "buying Indian without thinking."

"It is in this context that our government has been focusing on deregulation and strengthening the manufacturing sector in the country through various measures," she said in a post on social media platform X.

"In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India, India's industrial sector has shifted from traditional manufacturing to high-tech capabilities, resilience, and global integration. Initiatives like the National Logistics Policy and the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) are actively improving logistics efficiency and reducing transaction costs, thereby directly boosting the competitiveness of Indian manufacturing," she said.

The Survey highlights the strong revival of the Manufacturing sector growth of 7.72% and 9.13% in Q1 and Q2 of FY 2025-26 respectively, driven by the PLI scheme and reforms.

As of September 2025, the PLI schemes have realised actual investments of over Rs 2 lakh crore, resulting in incremental production of over Rs 18.70 lakh crore and creating employment for over 12.60 lakh people. Reflecting the government's push for modernisation, medium- and high-technology activities now account for 46.3% of India's total manufacturing value added.

Highlighting further strengthening the human capital, Sitharaman said as highlighted in the Economic Survey 2025-26, India's growth strategy is anchored in strengthening human capital, with measurable gains in both education and health outcomes.

"School education is moving decisively toward quality, with 13,076 PM SHRI schools operating as model institutions and post-pandemic learning recovery evident in foundational skills, where Grade III mathematics proficiency has risen to 65% from 42% in 2021. Digital integration is accelerating through more than 4.6 crore APAAR IDs, enabling seamless tracking of student progress," she said.

Higher education capacity has expanded alongside rising standards, with the Gross Enrolment Ratio increasing to 29.5, supported by the expansion of premier institutions to 23 IITs, 21 IIMs, and 20 AIIMS, including international campuses that extend India's academic presence globally. Health indicators show parallel structural progress. Infant mortality has declined from 40 in 2013 to 25 in 2023, reflecting sustained improvements in public health delivery, she mentioned.

A nationwide primary healthcare network is now anchored by 1.82 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, while 42.78 crore Ayushman cards and over 10.98 crore hospital admissions demonstrate large-scale protection for families. Disease control efforts continue to strengthen, with tuberculosis incidence falling 21% since 2015, the Finance Minister said.

In her post, she further said the survey recognises that the 'State capacity' is the foundation on which strategic resilience is built and the pathway through which strategic indispensability becomes possible.

Strategic resilience is co-created through the everyday behaviour of the State, firms, and citizens, and rests on a shared obligation and a reciprocal contract across the three. This resonates with PM Narendra Modi's clarion call of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas', she said.

The Survey has noted that the State-level deregulation drive is gaining momentum, in the spirit of cooperative & competitive federalism.