QUAD: A Boost for India's swadeshi strategy

21st century is a technological and economic era for cooperation, and alliances, thereby opening new platforms and opportunities to strengthen global growth. Countries around the world are navigating and exploring possibilities for cross functional collaboration to enhance investment which results in pronounced innovation and infrastructure, safe economic trade and secure commerce that will lead to enhance GDP.

India duly recognizes and respects the policy initiatives of global countries and stand by to provide handholding/committed support to global countries at various instances which includes the COVID-19 crisis. Global leaders eye on India as we have strong ease of governance and ease of doing business, robust Swadeshi policy frameworks which forms eminent pillars for our nation's economic growth. India is spearheading in a variety of significant sectors that includes agriculture (Food security), energy security, defence systems, nuclear, semiconductor, quantum, telecom [5G and 6G] and a special focus on critical minerals, which include mineral processing, recycling, and smart waste management.

India's strong network and covalent bonding relationship with international countries as it is clearly visible and evident through the historic international visits by our Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi forms a big backbone that invites enormous global investments and exchange of trade and commerce. QUAD-A strong framework initiative that covers and addresses maritime, critical minerals, new-age frontier technologies, health care which includes biomanufacturing (devices and pharmaceutical) and additional focus on disaster relief valuing human assistance. QUAD's mission will enhance economic Indo-Pacific energy security and market supply chain and logistics across the nations through common goals and shared resources. One of the most important initiative frameworks was QUAD Critical minerals which will open doors for cross critical mineral sharing among the QUAD countries that will boost and great push for many potential applications which includes automotive-Electrical Vehicle segment and defence security.

The main motto of QUAD is to have self-growth and growth of planets worldwide through shared common goals. QUAD, a new format and charged beginning in this emerging era for "like: Unified-Goal-minded countries" to harness and leverage the potential of natural resources and talent / skills available worldwide that could serve as a catalyst for the economic growth of nation across the globe. QUAD-Open new avenues and platforms for our nation that will boost economic trade and commerce through robust and resilient policy frameworks and establishment of global hubs. QUAD countries would develop common and structured Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for achieving smooth functions, sustainability that would lead to elevate capabilities of the global countries-India as we are aiming for Viksit Bharat@2047.

The present decade speaks and sound a lot about India's super power because of our developed digital public infrastructure which includes digital zones, global economic hubs, global capability centre, centre of excellence, research and innovation parks, Atal tinkering labs, revamped Industrial Training Institute (ITI's) as Centre of Excellence, industrial clusters, parks and corridors, technology centre, enhanced MSME clusters, startup eco systems and unicorns, smart cities along with significant boost in variety of economic parameters that includes smart manufacturing without compromising on productivity and quality measures achieved through Zero Defect Zero Effect (ZED), global supply chain and significant focus on economic packaging. India has created a value chain for its home-grown products as these are indigenously developed by Indian industries / MSME believing on Swadeshi / Vocal for Local Formula

QUAD emerged as open-door platform for global countries to eye on significant sectors such as energy security, critical minerals and pointed focus on maritime surveillance that would enhance cross-country trade, secured and safe commerce among QUAD nations. QUAD will give a great push for our nation's critical mission, national green hydrogen mission, and semiconductor mission as well. Additionally, the QUAD has special focus and unified approach on creating opportunities to open seaports like in Fiji that will enormously increase the exchange of trade and commerce across the countries that will add glory to economic policies and prosperities worldwide. India and global countries are intensively working to develop port infrastructure across Indo-Pacific cross corridors having a significant importance to open port in Fiji.

The tangible outcomes resulted in creating unique initiatives and formation of Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Corporation among the four countries to create a real-time maritime awareness and equivalently sharing maritime information. Through QUAD, countries are at ease and comfort to share their valuable information on collective agreement through user-friendly formats. India has been strongly working to create a global HUB for maritime called as Information Fusion Centre - Indian Ocean Region in short called as IFC-IOR located in Gurugram acts as fusion among QUAD countries actively working to achieve common and shared goals. This acts as a nerve centre for Maritime awareness and an economic hub.

India has been surviving successfully with sovereignty that led to climbing the ladder of stability and sustainability because of its robust resilience policy frameworks, value for peace, integrity, and human resources. These values form the basis and principal mantra for QUAD that acts as fulcrum and road map for Viksit Bharat.

The writer is Head Institute Industry Interface Program Hindustan College of Science and Technology, Mathura; Views presented are personal.